Hospital.Help

Münster The Medical Association of Westphalia-Lippe (KWL) has struck a nerve with a survey on experiences of violence among doctors in the chamber district. KWL President Hans-Albert Gehle was shocked by the result.

Within a few days, 4,513 members of the Chamber responded to the survey. 2,917 of them answered yes to the question “Have you experienced violence in your daily medical practice in the past?”

In 2,676 cases, this involved verbal violence and in 1,015 cases physical violence. 1,354 cases occurred in the inpatient sector, 1,339 in the outpatient sector and 254 in the emergency services.

The violence was mainly perpetrated by patients (2,159 cases) or relatives (1,563 cases). Violence against medical colleagues is escalating. We as a society cannot and must no longer ignore this issue, said Gehle.

He stressed that the extensive and rapid responses to the survey showed that there was a noticeable and permanent increase in violent incidents in everyday medical practice. The issue was placing a massive burden on colleagues and their staff.

The Chamber is calling for a comprehensive reporting system. This should ensure that cases of verbal and physical violence in the health care system are consistently reported and that knowledge is gained on how and with which preventive measures such acts of violence can be prevented.

Doctors should also be included in the provisions of Article 115 of the Criminal Code, which sanctions attacks on or resistance against police officers, firefighters and emergency service employees.

The inhibition threshold for aggressive or offensive behavior is falling and the willingness to use violence is increasing. This is a phenomenon affecting society as a whole and one that we cannot tolerate, emphasized Gehle. He pointed out that the chamber is also considering setting up an ombudsman’s office to deal with the issue of violence against doctors and medical personnel. © hil/aerzteblatt.de