Design, Development and Validation of a Chatbot (SANIDAD SEGURA) to Support Healthcare Professionals Experiencing Workplace Aggression: Protocol for a Mixed-methods Study

Workplace aggression toward healthcare professionals has become an increasingly significant occupational and public health concern worldwide. Exposure to physical, verbal, or psychological aggression can lead to adverse consequences including emotional distress, burnout, reduced job satisfaction, and increased turnover intention. Additionally, workplace violence negatively affects healthcare organizations by increasing absenteeism, reducing productivity, and potentially compromising patient safety.

Although healthcare systems have implemented prevention protocols and reporting mechanisms, underreporting of aggressive incidents remains common. Barriers such as fear of retaliation, normalization of violence, lack of time, and limited access to confidential support mechanisms often discourage healthcare workers from formally reporting incidents or seeking assistance.

Digital health technologies, particularly conversational agents or chatbots based on natural language processing, have emerged as promising tools to provide scalable, accessible, and continuous support. These tools can deliver real-time information, psychoeducational guidance, and referral pathways, potentially reducing barriers to help-seeking behaviors.

The SANIDAD SEGURA chatbot has been developed to address this gap by providing healthcare professionals with an accessible digital platform to obtain guidance following workplace aggression. The chatbot integrates information on institutional procedures, psychological coping strategies, and legal resources while facilitating confidential reporting and documentation of incidents.

This mixed-methods study will include the design and development of the chatbot, expert content validation, and pilot testing among healthcare professionals working in emergency and critical care settings in the Almería Health District (Spain). The evaluation will focus on the usability, readability, and acceptability of the chatbot, as well as its feasibility as a supportive tool within existing workplace violence prevention frameworks.