This is not about the violence occurring in schools, movie theaters, etc in the US.
This is about here.
I can already hear you. “But it’s so safe, what do you mean??” I guarantee that some of you have been physically threatened and verbally assaulted at work.
Verbal assault? Please…..”Sticks and stones may break my bones…..” Let me spin this differently. What if those words were,” If I see you outside, I’m going to cut you”. Not threatening enough?
Does the name Dr Rajan Daniel sound familiar? Maybe you know his story? He was a doctor in Abu Dhabi who was murdered by an enraged patient in his office at work, last November.
At home this problem is taken seriously, and for good reason. We are trained to look out for and be wary of violence in the emergency room (ED). It’s a common occurrence and won’t even make the news. It’s well documented in medical literature, however most lay folks will never see those.
I have worked in places with metal detectors that screen everyone coming into the ED. We had armed NYPD stationed at all the entrances with steel lockdown doors, separating us, from the outside. I once worked alongside physician assistants who happened to be Special Forces troops. They were around to learn trauma practices and to “keep the peace”. They did a great job, surprising our violent offenders, as the Special Forces staffs were dressed as regular medical staff.
With the amount of verbal abuse and aggression (a large man throwing a tray of food at a petite nurse) I see here at work, topped off by the murder of a doctor at his work place, I sense a problem. When a patient states that they will kill themselves, we don’t take it lightly. Why should we tolerate such threats when they are made against us, the medical staff?
It’s time these people are held accountable for their actions. This problem needs to be recognized and taken seriously. These few give the greater population a bad name.
I’m not interested when you say sorry, or that it was a joke, when you said, “I will cut you”.
Famous last words?
By Dr. DMS
