Content: As part of the BRAVE-WOW project, the team of Universitatde Barcelona has completed a scoping review to better understand how artificial intelligence (AI) intersects with gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) in healthcare settings.
While healthcare is a sector heavily affected by workplace violence — particularly among nurses, junior staff, and women — the arrival of AI tools such as machine learning, federated learning, and natural language processing (NLP) is transforming how risks and incidents are detected, predicted, and addressed. For example, recent studies show that models like BioClinical_BERT can extract instances of interpersonal violence from electronic health records, while predictive algorithms can flag risks of patient-to-staff violence in psychiatric or emergency settings.
Our scoping review — aligned with the PRISMA-ScR framework — explored seven key research questions:
– Types of GBVH studied – physical assault, sexual harassment, verbal abuse, threats, stalking, online harassment
– Definitions used – from WHO’s interpersonal violence framework to operational “Type II workplace violence” categories
– Behaviors identified – specific acts of aggression in text, clinical notes, or patient encounters
– Theoretical frameworks – highlighting a lack of gender and organizational theories in AI-based studies and the field in general
– Targets and perpetrators – mainly nurses and female healthcare staff, with patients/clients as the most frequent perpetrators
– Variables explored – predictors and antecedents dominate, while consequences and mediators remain under-researched
– Geographies and contexts – from U.S. emergency care to Chinese psychiatry, Turkish nursing, and global meta-analyses
Preliminary findings reveal that AI is opening new doors for detection and prediction, but that gendered dimensions of violence are often overlooked. Ethical concerns around bias, privacy, and surveillance remain pressing. Reasons for under-reporting of GBVH incidents need careful investigation, including nurses’ fear of retaliation, unsupportive organizational cultures, lack of clear procedures, and absence of effective reporting systems.
By framing these insights within BRAVE-WOW’s mission, we aim to identify evidence gaps, guide future research, and support the development of safer, more equitable workplaces across Europe.