Almost 90 percent of Kerala Doctors exposed to Workplace Violence, says new Study

Among the 1948 respondents, it was noted that a whopping 1279 that is 65.6% of the doctors reported that they had experienced some sort of violence, where

• 11.50 or 89.9% of the doctors reporting violence reported predominantly verbal abuse whereas 418 (32.7%) reported intimidation by gestures
• The majority of violent episodes occurred during daylight hours, accounting for 84.7% of incidents, while 32% took place outside of working hours.
• The emergency room triage saw the most violence at 57.5%, with outpatient services following at 33.6%.
• In most cases, the violence was perpetrated by patients' relatives or onlookers, at 81.5%.
• Despite nearly half (48.6%) of these incidents being reported, only a small fraction (13.5%) led to any preventative action being implemented.

This situation has led to a considerable number of doctors, 76.7%, considering the possibility of moving abroad for work, the researchers also concluded

“:This research underscores the alarming prevalence of workplace violence against doctors in Kerala, echoing global trends. The inadequate implementation of preventive measures highlights the gap between awareness and action, necessitating an examination of barriers in healthcare settings,” the authors noted in their conclusion

Reference: Kunnath R, Thayyil J, Suresh N, et al. (November 16, 2023) Workplace Violence Faced by Medical Doctors in Kerala, India. Cureus 15(11): e48887. doi:10.7759/cureus.48887