Preventing “white blouse” abuse

(Baothanhhoa.vn) - Recently, public opinion has been stirred up by many cases of violence against doctors and nurses. The common point of these incidents is that they all happened in the emergency department - where doctors fight for the lives of patients. What "medicine" can "treat" the violence in hospitals?

The Provincial General Hospital effectively implements electronic medical records, online medical registration, and scheduled medical examinations to reduce waiting time and avoid overload.

The Emergency Center of the Emergency Department - Intensive Care Unit 2, Provincial General Hospital, late at night, was crowded with people, the sound of ventilators and urgent calls echoed everywhere. In addition to the unconscious patients, cases of stroke and trauma continued to pour in. Nurse Luong Thi Thanh Nhan had just finished resuscitating a patient when she heard a scream: "Let me in, why don't you let me in the emergency room with my mother?" Then a man rushed into the patient's room, swung his arm at a nurse, and shouted: "What kind of doctor are you?" The entire team on duty was stunned, their shirts drenched in sweat, their hearts pounding. Then, as if they had gotten used to this suffocating feeling, they all continued with their work. "Every time like that, all efforts seemed to be denied" - nurse Nhan shared.

Since the beginning of 2025, the health sector across the country has recorded three consecutive cases of patients' relatives causing injuries to doctors and nurses. For example, on May 4, a medical staff at Nam Dinh General Hospital was pushed and hit in the face by a family member. This person was later prosecuted for disturbing public order. Or in March, a doctor in Gia Lai province was assaulted by a patient's family member, causing psychological trauma.

According to Dr. Lam Tien Tung, Head of the Emergency Department - Intensive Care Unit 2, it is not uncommon for emergency workers to be assaulted. Mild cases include yelling, bullying, and threatening, while severe cases include smashing furniture and assaulting doctors and nurses during the process of treating patients. Some doctors and nurses panic after being assaulted, especially by female colleagues, to the point that some ask to be transferred to another department. That is also the reason why most hospitals today have difficulty recruiting emergency doctors.

The pressure of examination and treatment at the emergency center is enormous. On average, every day, the center must receive and screen 150-200 hospitalized patients in serious, urgent conditions. Emergency care is often calculated in seconds, most relatives are impatient and worried, so it is difficult to stay calm, while medical staff must prioritize emergency care according to severity, not waiting time. However, many relatives still believe that their loved ones are abandoned and neglected. Expectations beyond the hospital's ability to respond, combined with emotional pressure, sometimes provoked by alcohol, can easily lead to conflict. It is not excluded that doctors and nurses behave inappropriately, causing emotions to escalate into conflict.

Every day, the Provincial General Hospital receives 800 - 1,000 patients for examination and treatment and provides treatment for 1,600 - 1,700 inpatients. The hospital environment cannot completely control the number and identity of people entering and leaving. For a frontline hospital like the Provincial General Hospital, ensuring security and order is not easy. Therefore, proactive measures to prevent and combat violence are the hospital's top priority. In recent years, the Provincial General Hospital has increased the application of information technology in medical examination and treatment, especially the effective implementation of electronic medical records, online registration, and time-based examinations... to reduce waiting time, avoid overload, and reduce the risk of conflict.

In addition, the hospital also arranges security forces to be on duty 24/7 at key locations and ensure proactive handling of situations. If there are security incidents, the warning and monitoring system will be activated and depending on the level, security teams and local police will be present in time to support.

However, technical solutions are just the “tip of the iceberg”. The root of the problem lies in the legal framework. The revised Law on Medical Examination and Treatment has provisions for deterrence, but there is still a need for a separate law on combating medical violence, clearly defining the authority, sanctions, as well as protecting the honor and image of employees in front of public opinion and social networks.

Article and photos: Tang Thuy

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/ngan-nan-bao-hanh-blouse-trang-257088.htm