Title

Violence Against Doctors: Prevention, Administrative and Legal Recourse.

Authors

Ravindra B Deokar, Sachin S Patil

Abstract

Violence against doctors and healthcare professionals/ hospitals is a great concerning issue. Workplace violence (WPV) against general practitioners, doctors and healthcare providers is an important global issue. No physician, however conscientious or careful, can tell what day or hour he may not be the object of some undeserved attack, malicious accusation, black mail or suit for damages. It refers to physical, verbal, or psychological aggression targeted at medical practitioners, nurses, and other healthcare staff. This violence can occur in hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare settings. Recently, reports of violence against doctors, including grievous hurt or murder, are making headlines across the world. 

Majority of these violence cases (60-70%) are violence took in the form of either verbal abuse or aggressive gesture. Very often, abusers of a medical person were patients themselves. They were mostly under the influence of alcohol or drug. It happened mostly in psychiatry ward or at casualties. There is increased risk of violence when a general physician is on call, particularly at night. There are various important factors that may be contribute to such incidents. Amongst these commonest factors are emotional stress, long wait times and frustration, disagreements over treatment, lack of communication, cultural and language barriers, resource limitations, mental health issues, lack of security measures, lack of training and de-escalation techniques

Keywords

 Healthcare Professionals, Grievous hurt, Verbal abuse, Suit for damages, Communication Skills.