The stories are disturbing. A pregnant emergency physician assaulted in a hallway. A patient leaping from the bed, wielding medical equipment as a weapon against the care team. A security guard intervening in a tense waiting room confrontation late at night. Most people find the violence hard to fathom, but for emergency physicians, these threats are part of life on the job every day.
A new poll by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) shows that emergency department violence is increasing, and more must be done to protect doctors and emergency personnel as they work to care for the health and safety of millions of patients across the country.
Nearly half (47 percent) of emergency physicians report being physically assaulted, with more than 60 percent of those saying the attacks occurred in the past year. Nearly 7 in 10 say that emergency department violence has increased in the past 5 years.
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