In his paper, Ghosh (2018) addresses the issue of increasing violence against doctors. According to the author, acts of assault and battery usually take place in the form of “verbal abuse or aggressive gesture” (Ghosh, 2018, p. 130). Acts of abuse against doctors are often committed by patients or their relatives. The reason for this is usually the dissatisfaction of people with the service they received. It can happen due to the long waiting periods, poor quality of medical assistance, or lack of communication between doctors and patients that may lead to the anxiety of the latter. In order to tackle violence in hospitals, the author recommends doctors to improve the quality of contact with patients and shorten waiting periods. The author also suggests that hospitals implement advanced technologies and hire more competent staff so that patients spend less time waiting for their appointment.
A study by Philips (2016) focuses on various types of assault and battery that medical staff faces. The author identifies four distinct types of violence that medics may encounter at their workplace. He also discusses specific features of abuse against nurses, physicians, and psychiatrists. The author claims that it is hard to tackle the current problem since only little data is available. This is because many medical workers do not report the experience of assault at work. Then, the author investigates the potential risk factors of violence in medical institutions and specific characteristics of perpetrators. As for the solution to the problem, Philips (2016) suggests that hospitals install “fences, security cameras, and metal detectors” (p. 1666). It is also essential that medical facilities hire guards and improve the quality of their services so that the level of patients’ satisfaction increases. The author also believes that training in self-defense may help medical staff to protect themselves from assault and battery.
References
Ghosh, K. (2018). Violence against doctors: A wake-up call. Indian Journal of Medical Research, 148(2), 130-133.
Philips, J.P. (2016). Workplace violence against health care workers in the United States. New England Journal of Medicine, 374(17), 1661-1669.