Table 1 Overview of construct and topics related to violence prevention used in the study

Primary outcome

Data based continuous violence prevention collaboration

To what extent are our violence prevention efforts continuously adjusted as a result of registrations and shared experiences?

Answers range from 0 to 10. “0” signifies “Not at all”; “10” signifies “To a great extent”.

NA

Secondary outcomes

Cooperation between line managers and employees

To what extent do the line manager and employees cooperate on the prevention of violence and threats?

Answers range from 0 to 10. “0” signifies “Not at all”; “10” signifies “To a great extent”.

NA

Attention to violence prevention

To what extent does your line manager prioritise violence prevention? and To what extent does the work environment organisation prioritise violence prevention?

Answers range from 0 to 10. “0” signifies “Not at all”; “10” signifies “To a great extent”.

NA (used as single items)

Actions taken to prevent violence and threats

Have there been improvements related to the prevention of violence and threats during the last 3 months?

Answers range from 0 to 10. “0” signifies “Not at all”; “10” signifies “To a great extent”.

NA

Violence prevention practices in your work unit

To what extent are guidelines on violence prevention carried out in practice at your workplace by your line manager? and

To what extent are guidelines on violence prevention carried out in practice at your workplace by the employees?

Answers range from 0 to 10. “0” signifies “Not at all”; “10” signifies “To a great extent”.

NA (used as single items)

Violence prevention climate scale

(a) My line manager quickly responds to episodes of violence. (b) Reports of violence from other employees are taken seriously by my line manager. (c) In my unit, you are trained in violence prevention policies and procedures. (d) In my unit, employees are informed about potential violence hazards. (e) In my unit, whenever pressure builds up, the preference is to do the job as fast as possible, even if it means compromising violence prevention. (f) Human resource shortage and/or staff composition undermines violence prevention standards.

Answer categories: “Disagree very much”, “Disagree moderately”, “Disagree slightly”, “Agree slightly”, “Agree moderately”, “Agree very much”.

Cronbach alpha for this scale was 0.68 (psychiatry) and 0.69 (PPS).

Additional item about violence prevention climate

To the above items, we added the following:

g) We are a unit that continuously makes an effort to prevent violence and threats. (However, this item was analysed separately and not as part of the scale.)

Answer categories: “Disagree very much”, “Disagree moderately”, “Disagree slightly”, “Agree slightly”, “Agree moderately”, “Agree very much”.

NA (used as single item)

Self-efficacy in violence prevention

To what extent do you have confidence in your colleagues’ competences to prevent violence and threats? and

To what extent do you feel capable to deal with and prevent violence and threats?

Answers range from 0 to 10. “0” signifies “Not at all”; “10” signifies “To a great extent”.

NA (used as single items)

Sense of safety at work

Do you feel safe when you are at work?

Answers range from 0 to 10. “0” signifies “Not at all”; “10” signifies “To a great extent”.

NA

Prevalence of violence and threats

Within the last 3 months have you been exposed to physical violence in your department? and

Within the last 3 months have you been exposed to threats in your department?

“Yes, daily”; “Yes, weekly”; “Yes, monthly”; “Yes, from time to time”; “No, never”

NA (used as single items)