A study by GMC’s department of community social medicine noted that more govt doctors (68.2%) faced violence on duty than those in private practice. The study found an overall 38.5% prevalence of workplace violence against healthcare professionals of Goa, with a maximum, 63.4%, targeted at doctors in the age group of 20-30. Half of the doctors interviewed said the abuse had negatively impacted their mental well-being, but they didn’t neglect patient care. In most cases, relatives of patients were the primary perpetrators of violence against doctors, followed by patients themselves. In other cases, medical caregivers were targeted by co-workers, and in two cases, sexual abuse at the workplace was reported. The researchers found that only half of the interviewees had reported the cases to their higher-ups, but action was seen only in 25% of the cases. A majority of interviewees said either the lack of organisational support or the provision to report held them back from escalating the issue with authorities. For some, the time consumed in completing the procedure was the barrier to filing complaints.
A study by GMC’s department of community social medicine not….
