Hospitals Prove Dangerous for Too Many Physicians

Nearly half of the 3,500-plus emergency physicians who took part in a survey commissioned by the  American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) say they’ve been physically assaulted at work. Most deny being injured or needing to take time off as a result. Hitting/slapping, spitting, punching, kicking, scratching, and biting were all considered to be physical assault. The numbers are even worse when you consider nonphysical assaults or harassment; 96% of female physicians and 80% of male docs say they’ve been subjected to verbal threats, inappropriate comments, and unwanted advances in the workplace. Not surprisingly, more than two-thirds of respondents, 71% of whom were male, say violence in the ED has become more prevalent over the past 5 years. Hospital-based urgent care centers were not reflected in the data, but given their proximity to the ED and the similar open access and acuity of cases, caution and awareness of what to do, such as calling security or the police, if you or a colleague is attacked would be prudent. Hospital security responded in 70% of the assaults mentioned, but arrests were made in only 21%.