Health Policy. 2026 Apr 18;170:105638. doi: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2026.105638. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Violence against healthcare workers has prompted policy responses across health systems that often emphasise security measures, legal sanctions, and behavioural interventions. While these approaches are essential to protect healthcare workers, their effectiveness remains limited. This Policy Comment argues that such framing may underemphasise determinants of violence arising at multiple levels of health systems, including broader policy choices (e.g., workforce planning, financing, and service configuration), governance arrangements (e.g., performance monitoring, administrative control, and regulatory standards), and organisational conditions (e.g., staffing shortages, workload, and care pathway bottlenecks), within a context influenced by international policy frameworks and societal factors. Drawing on a multi-level conceptual framework and examples from different countries, we suggest that violence can also be understood as an indicator of systemic strain arising from the persistent gap between healthcare needs and available capacity, reflecting how healthcare systems are organised, governed, and resourced. Rebalancing prevention efforts to address these policy and governance drivers may offer more sustainable solutions.
PMID:42030594 | DOI:10.1016/j.healthpol.2026.105638
