Working in healthcare can be a dangerous occupation. Maybe it is not like a cop or a fireman, but healthcare workers are subjected to a lot of violence. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal attested that healthcare workers are often subjected to assault. While there have been documented episodes of shootings, it is the physical assault that seems to be the more prominent hazard.
Now I have in the past written about various malfeasance among healthcare workers. Some healthcare workers have undergone shoddy employment screening only to later to discover that they were themselves convicted, felons, sex offenders, or suffering from substance abuse. These revelations, of course, came largely after the worker acted out and attracted undue attention by stealing or physically or psychologically assaulted a patient left in their care. I have written about this a number of times. One such article was entitled, Fake Nurse Conviction and the Need for Healthcare Background Checks. This was where someone posed as a nurse but lacked the requisite credentials.
So, yes, there have been award winning studies about healthcare malfeasance and the need for more comprehensive background checks from groups like Pro Publica and Newspapers like the Los Angeles Times. There have been innumerable articles about violence, theft, and substance abuse that has not benefited the industry as a whole. But, let’s face it, most healthcare workers are diligent and reputable and really don’t need to face potential violence by sheer virtue of showing up for the job.
According to the article in the WSJ, shooting are pretty rare. But physical assault is on the increase. According to the WSJ, the authors of the study maintain that physicians are not perceived with the historical reverence that was once so prominent among the public at large. As health care is a business that appears to some as more concerned about profit and monetization, patients become increasingly frustrated with the bureaucracy. And then there is the ugly fact that civility ain’t what it used to be and violence is a more acceptable solutions. Not good, but probably accurate.
So while some lament healthcare and call for reform where all patients should be treated, perhaps the increased incidence of assault against healthcare workers should be taken into consideration. Maybe if you are a patient and choose to act out, you go to the back of the line. I don’t know. But no one should have to be in the business of treating people and risk injury or death.
