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Doctors' shock in Vienna: Violence against doctors reaches new dimensions!
A current report highlights the growing violence against doctors in Vienna, triggered by long waiting times and a lack of staff.
Doctors' shock in Vienna: Violence against doctors reaches new dimensions!
A shocking picture emerges from current surveys among doctors in Vienna: violence against medical staff is an alarming everyday occurrence. Particularly affected is Dr. Naghme Kamaleyan-Schmied, a general practitioner in Vienna, who reports death threats and says: “Patients spit, scream or threaten – and this is happening more and more often.” The attacks on doctors are not just verbal: in a survey, 37% of Viennese doctors said they were regularly affected by violence, while 16% had suffered physical attacks, according to “Heute”.
These frightening figures were confirmed by the Medical Association, which emphasized that 55% of the 1,102 doctors surveyed had been confronted with verbal violence at least once in the last two years, and 24% had experienced psychological violence, as “Die Presse” reported. Long waiting times and overcrowded practices lead to an increase in aggression, which primarily comes from patients and their relatives. 71% of doctors note a general increase in aggression in society.
Politics required
The situation is worrying: more than half of those surveyed already suffer from psychological insecurity and 68% of doctors call for urgent action against violence in the workplace. Medical Association President Johannes Steinhart made it clear that in addition to increasing the number of statutory health insurance doctor positions, secure protection for health facilities is also particularly necessary. Politicians must act to create a non-violent working environment, warns Steinhart, together with his vice presidents Kamaleyan-Schmied and Natalja Haninger-Vacariu.
According to Kamaleyan-Schmied, the majority of medical attacks are now often directed against practice staff. Employers must recognize the seriousness of the situation and offer preventive measures such as de-escalation seminars to give doctors strategies to better deal with conflicts. “Aggression and violence must have no place in our ordinations and hospitals,” is the clear appeal of the professionals - a call that could not be more urgent.
You can find more information in the articles from Today and The press.