Workplace StressNCT06921083
Violence in ICU: Outcomes, Lessons, and Experiences of ICU Team (The VIOLENT-Study)
An observational study of Workplace Stress, run by University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland at 1 site in Switzerland.
Trial summary
This study aims to investigate the perceptions, experiences, and responses of healthcare professionals working in intensive care units in Switzerland concerning patient violence. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Any ageHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Workplace Stress
- How many people
- 308 participants
- Where
- 1 siteSwitzerland
- Study dates
- 1 Mar 2025to 31 Dec 2025
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages Any age
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Study population: Nurses and physicians working in the intensive care unit at Swiss hospitals
Who may be able to join
- Consenting nurses and physicians currently working in Swiss intensive care units
- Nurses and physicians consenting to participate will be included
Who cannot join
- Nurses and physicians who do not consent
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Switzerland1 site
University Hospital Basel, Intensive Care Unit
Basel, Canton of Basel-City, 4031
About this study
Official title: Investigating Management and Perceptions of Aggression, Conflict, and Threat in ICU Environments
This study aims to investigate the perceptions, experiences, and responses of healthcare professionals working in intensive care units in Switzerland concerning patient violence.
Read the detailed description
Workplace violence, as defined by the International Labor Organization, includes any action, incident, or behavior that assaults, threatens, harms, or injures a person during their work. Healthcare workers face the highest risk of workplace violence among all professions. Violence can take many forms, including verbal abuse, physical offenses to sexual harassment. While most research focuses on psychiatric and emergency departments, workplace violence in intensive care units (ICUs) is understudied and often underreported. As a result, little is known about its prevalence and risk factors, leading to a lack of awareness and effective prevention strategies.
This study examines the perceptions, experiences, and responses of healthcare professionals in Swiss ICUs. A questionnaire-based survey will assess various aspects, including personal background (such as education and professional role), the frequency and nature of past incidents of workplace violence, responses and measures taken, psychological or professional consequences, current prevention strategies, and suggestions for improving workplace safety.
Since workplace violence is a common issue, the results of this study could help improve the work environment and safety in ICUs and other healthcare settings.
- Conditions
- Workplace Stress
- Keywords
- Intensive Care Unit, Workplace Violence
- Medical subject headings
- Occupational Stress
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Demographic information (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Participants provide demographic details, including gender and age, using a questionnaire.
Measured: 2025
Completion date (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
The date of questionnaire completion is recorded.
Measured: 2025
Professional background (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Assessment of professional role of the intensive care unit (ICU) staff, including their education and work experience, using a questionnaire.
Measured: 2025
Frequency of violent incident (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Participants report the frequency of violent incidents encountered from patients or their relatives in the ICU setting, using a questionnaire.
Measured: 2025
Type of violent incident (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Participants report the type of violent incidents (verbal, physical, and sexual) encountered from patients or their relatives in the ICU setting, using a questionnaire.
Measured: 2025
Characteristics of violent incident (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Participants provide detailed information about specific violent incidents they have experienced in the ICU, including the context and perceived triggers, using a questionnaire.
Measured: 2025
Reporting of violent incident (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Participants report whether the violent incident has been reported, using a questionnaire.
Measured: 2025
Personal impact of workplace violence (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Participants describe the personal impact of workplace violence, including psychological and mental health consequences, using a questionnaire.
Measured: 2025
Professional impact of workplace violence (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Participants report how workplace violence influences professional factors such as job satisfaction and workload, using a questionnaire.
Measured: 2025
Actions taken during or after violent incident (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Participants report the responses and measures taken during or after the violent incident, using a questionnaire.
Measured: 2025
Strategies for enhancing workplace safety in the ICU (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Participants provide information on strategies for enhancing workplace safety in the ICU, such as existing institutional policies, prior training in handling workplace violence, and their opinions on workplace violence prevention and recommendations for enhancing ICU safety, using a questionnaire.
Measured: 2025
Open-ended feedback from participant (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Participants have the opportunity to share additional comments or remarks related to workplace violence and safety in the ICU, using a questionnaire. This information is collected through a freetext field in the questionnaire.
Measured: 2025
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted10 Apr 2025
- Study start1 Mar 2025
- Primary completion31 Dec 2025
- Study completion31 Dec 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Workplace StressStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University Hospital, Basel, SwitzerlandThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Other
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 308 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Raoul Sutter, Prof. Dr. med., Principal investigator, University Hospital Basel, Department of Acute Medicine, Intensive Care Unit
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06921083
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Req-2024-01621; am25Sutter2
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 20 Mar 2025
- Last updated
- 17 Jun 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 17 Jun 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Investigating Management and Perceptions of Aggression, Conflict, and Threat in ICU Environments
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06921083
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Req-2024-01621; am25Sutter2
- Conditions
- Workplace Stress
- Keywords
- Intensive Care Unit, Workplace Violence
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 308 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University Hospital, Basel, SwitzerlandUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Mar 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Dec 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 10 Apr 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study aims to investigate the perceptions, experiences, and responses of healthcare professionals working in intensive care units in Switzerland concerning patient violence.
Detailed description
Workplace violence, as defined by the International Labor Organization, includes any action, incident, or behavior that assaults, threatens, harms, or injures a person during their work. Healthcare workers face the highest risk of workplace violence among all professions. Violence can take many forms, including verbal abuse, physical offenses to sexual harassment. While most research focuses on psychiatric and emergency departments, workplace violence in intensive care units (ICUs) is understudied and often underreported. As a result, little is known about its prevalence and risk factors, leading to a lack of awareness and effective prevention strategies.
This study examines the perceptions, experiences, and responses of healthcare professionals in Swiss ICUs. A questionnaire-based survey will assess various aspects, including personal background (such as education and professional role), the frequency and nature of past incidents of workplace violence, responses and measures taken, psychological or professional consequences, current prevention strategies, and suggestions for improving workplace safety.
Since workplace violence is a common issue, the results of this study could help improve the work environment and safety in ICUs and other healthcare settings.
Study design
- Observational model
- Other
- Time perspective
- Prospective
Who may qualify
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Nurses and physicians working in the intensive care unit at Swiss hospitals
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Consenting nurses and physicians currently working in Swiss intensive care units
- Nurses and physicians consenting to participate will be included
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Nurses and physicians who do not consent
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
Demographic information (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Time frame: 2025
Participants provide demographic details, including gender and age, using a questionnaire.
Completion date (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Time frame: 2025
The date of questionnaire completion is recorded.
Professional background (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Time frame: 2025
Assessment of professional role of the intensive care unit (ICU) staff, including their education and work experience, using a questionnaire.
Frequency of violent incident (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Time frame: 2025
Participants report the frequency of violent incidents encountered from patients or their relatives in the ICU setting, using a questionnaire.
Type of violent incident (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Time frame: 2025
Participants report the type of violent incidents (verbal, physical, and sexual) encountered from patients or their relatives in the ICU setting, using a questionnaire.
Characteristics of violent incident (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Time frame: 2025
Participants provide detailed information about specific violent incidents they have experienced in the ICU, including the context and perceived triggers, using a questionnaire.
Reporting of violent incident (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Time frame: 2025
Participants report whether the violent incident has been reported, using a questionnaire.
Personal impact of workplace violence (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Time frame: 2025
Participants describe the personal impact of workplace violence, including psychological and mental health consequences, using a questionnaire.
Professional impact of workplace violence (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Time frame: 2025
Participants report how workplace violence influences professional factors such as job satisfaction and workload, using a questionnaire.
Actions taken during or after violent incident (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Time frame: 2025
Participants report the responses and measures taken during or after the violent incident, using a questionnaire.
Strategies for enhancing workplace safety in the ICU (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Time frame: 2025
Participants provide information on strategies for enhancing workplace safety in the ICU, such as existing institutional policies, prior training in handling workplace violence, and their opinions on workplace violence prevention and recommendations for enhancing ICU safety, using a questionnaire.
Open-ended feedback from participant (ICU Staff Questionnaire)
Time frame: 2025
Participants have the opportunity to share additional comments or remarks related to workplace violence and safety in the ICU, using a questionnaire. This information is collected through a freetext field in the questionnaire.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 17 Jun 2026.
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Adaptation and Evaluation of RESTORE
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PATH to Reducing Burnout Among Peers Who Deliver Overdose Prevention Services (R33 Phase Clinical Trial)
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Not yet recruiting
Mobile-Based Resilience Intervention for Moral Injury, Compassion Fatigue, and Distress in ICU Nurses
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Raoul Sutter, Prof. Dr. med. principal investigator
University Hospital Basel, Department of Acute Medicine, Intensive Care Unit
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Workplace Stress, run by University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland at 1 site in Switzerland.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Switzerland. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Demographic information (ICU Staff Questionnaire) (time frame: 2025). The study lists 12 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 17 Jun 2026.