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FrancoAngeli Journals

Materiali per la ricerca e l'approfondimento

No. 134 (2025)

Communication as a Tool for Preventing Aggression Against Healthcare Workers: The Experience of the Apulia Region

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3280/mesa2025-134oa22051
Submitted
febbraio 11, 2026
Published
2026-04-24

Abstract

Occupational violence against healthcare workers represents a growing concern, with significant consequences for staff health, care quality, and health system sustainability. This study analyzes the Apulia Region experience in implementing an integrated communication strategy for primary prevention of aggressions, focusing on the innovative role of the Process Nurse as a communication mediator.
The analysis examines the time series of episodes recorded in 2023-2024 and evaluates initiatives implemented within the regional prevention strategy.
Data show an increase from 116 episodes in 2023 to 325 in 2024, with verbal aggressions prevailing. Perpetrator typology confirms the predominantly external nature of violence, with patients and relatives responsible for most cases.
The regional strategy encompasses two dimensions: internal communication, including training programs on de-escalation and conflict management, and external communication through multi-channel awareness campaigns.
The distinctive element is the establishment of the Process Nurse, a professional figure dedicated to proactive relationship management in high-risk areas such as Emergency Departments.
The experience demonstrates that a systemic approach, positioning effective communication as a central strategic element, contributes to tension reduction. Operational implications include investments in staff communication training, consolidation of organizational innovations, and integration of communication competencies into undergraduate curricula. The Apulian model provides replicable guidance for other territorial contexts.

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