Violence in Family Medical Office and Its Effects

Abstract

Background: Recently, there has been dramatic increase in the number of doctors who have experienced violence. Many studies have shown that inclinic violence provokes several changes in treatment behavior and evokes many psychological problems for doctors. In this study, we conducted a survey targeting family medicine doctors to determine the actual situation of in-clinic violence and its effects, including changes in treatment behavior. Methods: A 25-item questionnaire was developed and mailed to 6,000 members of the Korean Association of Family Practice who agreed to provide personal information. Results: In total, 279 doctors (89.4%) reported having violent experiences. Abusive language was the most frequent type of violence, experienced by 278 doctors (73.8%), followed by assault, which was experienced by 74 respondents (19.6%). The most common cause of violence was dissatisfaction with treatment (n=63, 12.7%), and the next was the attitude of the doctor(s). A total of 160 doctors (57.3%) indicated that the experience of violence affected their daily lives. The frequency of experiencing violence was positively related to the proportion of doctors whose daily lives were affected (P<0.001). The number of respondents who changed their treatment behavior was 161 (57.7%). The frequency of experiencing violence was positively related to the proportion of doctors who changed their treatment behavior (P=0.018). Conclusion: Although in-clinic violence has significant effects on doctors and their treatment behavior, there are not many ways to cope with this situation, and simply providing education about violence is insufficient.