GP staff reveal patient aggression

Australian general practitioners and their staff commonly encounter aggressive patients who are verbally abusive, display threatening behaviour or cause property damage, a national study reveals.

The Department of Health and Ageing has engaged the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute (APHCRI) based at The Australian National University to conduct the first national study examining patient-initiated aggression against general practitioners and general practice staff in Australia.

Extensive consultations and interviews with stakeholders and general practice staff across Australia have been undertaken and findings have been used to develop national online surveys for general practitioners and general practice staff. Findings from the surveys will provide the first-ever Australian data of the extent of aggression towards general practice staff.

The research has found:

• 57-64 per cent of Australian GPs have experienced some form of violence within a 12 month period
• Four Australian GPs have been murdered at work in the past 12 years
• Reception staff are subjected to considerable verbal abuse
• Australian GPs are most likely to experience verbal abuse compared with other types of violence
• Female GPs are significantly more likely to experience sexual harassment than their male counterparts in Australia
• Causes of violence in Australia include patient waiting times and denial of access to care
• Aggression in Australia occurs both during and after business hours, however high-level violence (physical abuse, stalking, sexual harassment and sexual abuse) is more likely to occur after hours

Lead APHCRI researcher, Associate Professor Rhian Parker, said the study revealed that aggressive patient behaviour in general practices was a "significant issue" that the health community needed to understand.

"It is essential for all general practitioners and general practice staff, including receptionists, nurses and allied health professionals, to take part in this first ever national survey so we can capture their everyday experiences," Associate Professor Parker said.

"So far we have found that aggressive patients are a part of their everyday working life. This obviously has implications for retaining staff, as some of them are being worn down by these experiences."

Dr Chris Mitchell, President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, said the evidence to date demonstrated the "multidimensional nature of patient-initiated violence".

"This is an important study, which will serve to address the prevention and management of patient-initiated threats to the personal safety of general practice staff," Dr Mitchell said.

(Source: Australian National University: October 2009)