Violence in hospitals: the dangerous everyday life of Berlin nurses and doctors

Violence in hospitals: the dangerous everyday life of Berlin nurses and doctors

blows, threats and insults are the order of the day for staff in hospitals and emergency rooms in Berlin. According to a report by the RBB24, violence against medical staff is becoming increasingly common and more drastical. In a Weddinger hospital, Julia says that verbal threats and insults as well as threats of physical violence increase the pressure on nurses and doctors. Stella, a caregiver in an emergency room, reports of an incident in which she was hit in the face by a patient. However, such incidents are only the tip of the iceberg, since many violent cases are not even documented or the police are called. This is mainly due to the fact that the staff does not have enough time due to the overload and that many patients and relatives are frustrated in the emergency rooms due to the long waiting times. This year the Berlin police had to move out almost ten thousand times to clinics and hospitals, twice as often as in 2013. The most common crimes were theft, assault, trespassing and property damage. However, the numbers only give an insight into the extent of violence, since many cases are not reported.

The causes of violence, according to clinic operator Vivantes, lie primarily in alcohol and drug abuse, psychiatric diseases and the often unfulfilled expectations of the patients. Marc Schreiner, Managing Director of the Berlin Hospital Society, emphasizes that politicians have to tackle the basic evil of the hospital landscape and to fund the hospitals sufficiently. In addition to financial support, patient flows should also be better controlled to avoid overloading the emergency rooms. Ina Czyborra, the health senator of Berlin, emphasizes that pension tasks and hospital financing falls into the responsibility of the federal government and health insurance companies. Nevertheless, Berlin is involved in the amendment processes of the emergency position law and hospital financing at the federal level.

Violence in hospitals is a major challenge that can only be addressed by a comprehensive and sustainable solution at the political level. Measures must be taken to protect the staff and reduce the overload of the emergency rooms.

Source: According to a report from www.rbbb24.de