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Stepping up the prevention of violence against healthcare workers
13 March 2023 - Online
Overview
EHMA and the European Public Health Association (EUPHA), jointly organised a webinar on “Stepping up the prevention of violence against healthcare workers”, which took place on Monday 13 March 2023.
Violence and harassment affect all health worker groups and work settings in the health sector. These are incidents involving work-related abuse, threats or assaults among healthcare workers including physical, sexual, verbal and psychological abuse and workplace harassment. Violence against healthcare workers strongly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and this trend seems to continue. WHO estimates that up to 62% of healthcare workers have experienced workplace violence. Verbal abuse (58%) is the most common form of non-physical violence, followed by threats (33%) and sexual harassment (12%)[1]. Between 8% and 38% of healthcare workers suffer physical violence at some point in their careers.
Violence against healthcare workers is unacceptable. It has not only a negative impact on the psychological and physical well-being of health-care staff, but also affects their job motivation. As a consequence, this violence compromises the quality of care and puts health-care provision at risk. It also leads to immense financial loss in the health sector.
Violence against healthcare workers is not adequately recognised as a political issue and public health crisis. It is largely absent from health workforce policy and the European and national pandemic recovery plans and debates over health system resilience. A trans-sectoral and multi-professional governance approach may help us better understand the different forms of violence and the factors that worsen the attacks.
This webinar was a call for unity and mobilisation, where our speakers identified opportunities to better address the increasing violence against healthcare workers.
[1] https://www.who.int/tools/occupational-hazards-in-health-sector/violence-harassment
SPEAKERS
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Ellen Kuhlmann MPH PhD
Ellen Kuhlmann MPH PhD
Ellen Kuhlmann MPH PhD is the initiator and president of the EUPHA Health Workforce Research Section, and currently based at Hannover Medical School, Germany. Ms. Kuhlmann has many years of international experience, most recently in 2019 as guest professor at Aarhus University, Denmark. Her main research areas include health workforce, health systems and governance, and gender and public health. Ms. Kuhlmannn has clinical experience as a specialised nurse. Education: Master Public Health, PhD and post-doc qualification (Habilitation) in sociology; clinical background as specialised nurse in intensive care/anaesthesiology.
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Dr Tomas Zapata
Dr Tomas Zapata
Dr Tomas Zapata is a health systems and health workforce expert with more than 13 years of experience in policy advice, research and programme implementation, including long term international work with WHO, UNFPA and Doctors of the World based in Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, Bangladesh and India. He has also conducted several analyses focusing on integration of services, primary health care, health workforce policy and health labour market analysis among others in African and Asian settings. Currently he is the Regional Advisor on Human Resources for Health in the Health Systems team in the WHO South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) based in New Delhi. Dr Tomas Zapata graduated as a Medical Doctor in Alcala University, Spain and he specialized in Family Medicine in Madrid, Spain. He holds a Master’s degree in Health Policy, Planning and Financing from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the London School of Economics (LSE), a Master in Humanitarian Medicine by Complutense University of Madrid, Spain and a specialised short course on Human Resources for Health by Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, USA.
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Dr Michelle Falkenbach
Dr Michelle Falkenbach
Dr Michelle Falkenbach is a Technical Officer at the Observatory based in Brussels. Her work focuses on health policy, health politics, governance, the health workforce, intersectoral action and the Sustainable Development Goals.
She supports the Observatory’s analytical pillar on governance and contributes to knowledge-brokering through a range of activities including reports, policy briefs and webinars.
Michelle holds a PhD in public health with an emphasis on health politics from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Michelle is an honorary research fellow at Cornell University in the department of Public and Ecosystem health where she was a post doctoral associate.
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Ms Sarada Das
Ms Sarada Das
Ms Sarada Das joined CPME in 2009 and has served as Deputy Secretary General since 2016. Ms Das holds a B.A. in European Studies and an LL.M. in European Law from the University of Maastricht.
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Katarzyna Czabanowska PhD
Katarzyna Czabanowska PhD
Katarzyna Czabanowska PhD is an Associate Professor at the Department of International Health, at Maastricht University Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences. She is a Coordinator of the Master of European Public Health ( Governance and Leadership in European Public Health) and director of the Leadership for European Public Health (LEPHIE), a Continuous Professional Development Course. She has a background in English philology, social science and business administration. She obtained her PhD in public health in the area of qualitative research methods from the Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Poland. Her research focus is on public health workforce development in Europe. She is a WHO expert in the area of Public Health Leadership.
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Prof. Jose Martin-Moreno
Prof. Jose Martin-Moreno
Prof. Jose Martin-Moreno holds degrees from the University of Granada, Spain (MD, PhD), and from Harvard University, US (MPH, DrPH). His main medical specialty is Preventive Medicine and Public Health, with concentration in Epidemiology, Cancer and NCDs, Public Health services and Health Policy & Management. He is currently full Professor of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Valencia, Director of the Medical Education and Quality Unit at the Valencian Clinical Hospital, Chair of the ASPHER Honours Committee & Director of the Andrija Stampar European Summer School of Public Health. Dr Martin-Moreno previously served as Director of Programme Management at WHO Europe and Director-General and Chief Medical Officer of Spain. Additionally, he has also advised the European Commission , the Scientific and Technical Office of the European Parliament, the European Institute of Oncology and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. He has published more than 300 scientific papers both nationally and internationally.
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Mr George Valiotis
Mr George Valiotis
Mr George Valiotis is the Executive Director of EHMA. He represents the voice of health management to many European and international bodies including the European Parliament, the European Commission, the World Health Organization, industry bodies, and community groups. George chairs EHMA’s webinar series, guides the coordination of the annual conference and has an active role in all EHMA’s projects by providing high-level advice on health management matters. Prior to joining EHMA, George was the Chief Executive Officer of a Scottish policy agency focusing on blood-borne viruses and sexual infections. He has managed multiple strategic policy and education collaborations with diverse stakeholder, worked as an education specialist for the International AIDS Society, served on the Board of Diabetes Australia and as an Advisor on its Medical Education and Science Council and as Principal Strategic Advisory to the Commissioner for Children and Young People, Scotland.
What our Members say
I have been active in EHMA since the first years of the '90s and I have seen its evolution from a small association of members interested in sharing knowledge on health management practices to the current status of reference and advisory key player for EU, health systems and organisations, stakeholders associations, industry and universities. EHMA is now a unique knowledge hub, policy advisor, community of practice and network of best in class organisations involved in health policy and management. A place where health managers can build their competences, policy-makers and stakeholder associations envision how to implement and sustain change through health management, industry leaders understand how to engage more effectively with health organisations and systems. The right place to nurture and grow health management capabilities and capacity for every stakeholder of health systems.
Prof. Federico Lega, University of Milan, Italy
Health management has a crucial function in shaping public health and health system challenges. The Medical University of Varna, Bulgaria had success in collaborating with EHMA on EU-funded projects that has resourced us to create new health management competencies for the future workforce. In addition to all classical definitions, health management is a science dealing with individuals, groups, and society at large. It is an art contributing to the beauty of our lives and an interactive communication process at all levels of institutions and human energy. I have also had the pleasure to chair the South Eastern European Special Interest Group which gives members a space to discuss and tools to address how health systems are managed in our regions.
Prof. Todorka Kostadinova, Medical University of Varna, Bulgaria
I enjoy the high level of interaction and engagement in EHMA’s activities, in particular during the annual conference where the panel discussions are rich and well prepared. As a hospital manager and professor of health management, EHMA motivates and inspires me to be creative. You go back home feeling energised from seeing old friends and making new connections, as well as being convinced of serving as EHMA’s ambassador. It’s a strong feeling of interdisciplinary engagement, but it also feels like being part of family-like community.
Prof. Sandra C. Buttigieg, University of Malta, Malta
EHMA is a pre-eminent organisation for everyone working in planning, managing and delivering health services across Europe. As a long standing member of EHMA I have always been impressed by the vibrant community of managers, researchers and academics it has created and by the many opportunities for sharing knowledge and funding opportunities it has brought to its members. Its international scope is impressive and its impact is often felt in management and research across European and national health systems.
Prof. Axel Kaehne, Edge Hill University, UK
Health workforce has become more essential in operating, managing and maintaining health systems lately, particularly in crisis and emergency situations. European healthcare professions and the workforce need to be high on the agenda of managers and decision makers. The Health Services Management Training Centre, Semmelweis University in Hungary is a longstanding EHMA member, because it connects us with collaborators and experts, with whom we can have complex debates, from whom we can learn and at the end find solutions in various challenging fields of healthcare management.
Dr Eszter Kovács, Health Services Management Training Centre, Semmelweis University, Hungary
As a hospital administrator and health management professor, I see on a daily basis that the healthcare challenges require talented and skilled managers to transform it. the EHMA membership has been beneficial to bring healthcare management research and education to the demanding healthcare services world, promoting healthcare management competencies and knowledge creation.
Dr Alexandre Lourenco, APAH - Association of Portuguese Hospital Managers, Portugal
Many healthcare systems in Europe and beyond are facing similar challenges which require innovative and creative solutions. EHMA’s annual conference, webinars, Programme Directors’ group and other activities and resources provide incredible opportunities for networking, connecting and sharing experiences. A distinct feature of EHMA is the diversity of members with representation from many countries, sectors and different communities of practice – academic, policy-makers, practitioners, managers, leaders and students. The annual conference is a highlight in the calendar year, offering a friendly, fun and learningful environment for emerging and established members to engage, collaborate and meet up with old and new friends. I am proud to be a member of the EHMA Board.
Prof. Ann Mahon, University of Manchester, UK
Society evolution, pandemics and ageing modify health needs. So, health policies and services are to change dramatically. EHMA, through webinars, workshops and annual conference provides an excellent insight to a professional changing world, favouring closeness to management innovation and the protagonists of these changes. As a primary care services’ manager, participating in EHMA activities is really worth it and allows to involve oneself in the innovation processes.
Dr Antoni Peris Grao, Consorci Castelldefels Agents de Salut (CASAP), Spain