More than 18,000 members of French hospitals are victims of various attacks. Psychiatric services and emergencies are the main theaters of violence.
Every 30 minutes. This is the frequency with which hospital staff is attacked in France. This sad assessment is drawn by the National Observatory of Violence in Health (ONVS) in a report recently published. Focusing on the reports of 2014, it concludes that incidents have increased compared to the previous year. However, the number of establishments reporting this type of information has declined.
Public sector involvement
The 337 structures participating in this Observatory have thus reported more than 14,500 attacks, not only to people but also to property. Île-de-France is widely at the top of the snags with patients or staff with 30% of declarations. The Ile-de-France region is followed by Midi-Pyrénées and Pays de la Loire.
The strong participation of the Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) undoubtedly explains this gap: the largest hospital in France has a systematic reporting policy. In fact, the public sector is much more integrated into the system than the private sector, despite the incentives of the Federation of Private Hospitalization (FHP).
Source : ONVS
Staff solidarity
Hospitals have identified a total of 18,143 victims. In the vast majority of cases, these are personnel, nurses and midwives being the primary targets of violence (66%). Caregivers and maintenance workers are also severely affected by these incidents. “Tensions with the public have increased”, acknowledges the ONVS report, which is based on a study by the DREES (Department of Research, Evaluation, Studies and Statistics).
While relations are more strained between professionals and patients, staff members show solidarity with each other. An evolution which deserves to be underlined because it proves to be invaluable in certain services. Psychiatry, emergencies, medicine and geriatrics are the main victims of assaults and other incidents. “While the caregiver was saying hello, a patient approached her and slapped her violently, for the third time in a few weeks,” the document reports as an example.
Source : ONVS
37% of insults
The overwhelming majority of patients, visitors and accompanying persons are the main perpetrators of violence. Inadequate care, too long waiting time, refusal of prescription, but also alcohol consumption, the reasons for the attacks are numerous. Those who are not satisfied will stop at nothing to make it understood.
The violence is above all verbal with 37% of insults reported. But physical threats are not that rare (15%). Moreover, serious violence is on the increase, with increased use of firearms, increased rapes and occasional use of tear gas. Incidents can also accumulate: in 420 cases, attacks on people are added to those on property. Most often, this manifests itself in violence and degradation.
2,224 complaints and 185 handrails were filed. But the ONVS recalls that most often, the establishments do not provide any information on the follow-up given to incidents.
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