Ambulances are parked at an entrance to the ER of Seoul Medical Center in Jungnang District, Seoul, March 11. Newsis

Assaults by patients, guardians leave physicians traumatized

By Lee Hyo-jin

Doctors are urging the government to step up efforts to stem workplace violence as assault cases against emergency room staff by patients and their guardians are increasing to an alarming level.

Unlike other hospital departments where patients need to schedule an appointment to see a doctor, ER workers have to see everyone who walks through the door, which leaves them more prone to violent outbursts.

In June of this year, an ER doctor working at a hospital Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, was attacked by a 74-year-old man with a sickle and suffered injuries to the back of his neck. The man later told the police that he acted out of anger after his wife passed away while undergoing treatment there a few days earlier.

Later that month, a 60-something man, who was disgruntled by a delay in treatment for his wife, set fire to an emergency room at Pusan ??National University Hospital in Busan, causing 46 patients and staffers to evacuate.

Firefighters put out a fire in the ER of Pusan National University Hospital in Busan, June 25. Courtesy of National Fire Agency's Busan office

The Korean Medical Association (KMA) surveyed 1,206 ER physicians in June and found that 78 percent of them had experienced verbal or physical assaults by a patient or guardian within the last couple of years.

When asked how they reacted to the violence, 45 percent replied that they just tolerated it, while 29 percent called the police and another 20 percent reported it to hospital management.

Park Soo-hyun, a spokesperson of the KMA and an ER doctor at CHA Bundang Women's Medical Center, says the survey results are troubling, yet not surprising.

"There are so many violent incidents in ERs that aren't reported in the news. Violence involving pushing, grabbing the staff or throwing things at them occurs literally every day," she said, sharing an incident at her hospital in which a nurse was pulled by her hair by an intoxicated patient.

"Not only do these cases leave medical workers with physical injuries, but also with long-lasting psychological trauma, which is often overlooked. Being threatened and attacked by a person you are caring for decreases morale and could affect how they treat patients."

"Violence against doctors harms patient care, too. For instance, in the event of an arson attack, patients receiving dialysis treatment or on ventilators cannot be evacuated swiftly, putting their lives at risk," she explained, calling for zero tolerance against such attacks.

But Park went on to say that loopholes in the current legal system discourage medial workers from actively filing police reports. Under current laws, assaults against medical workers are unpunishable upon the victim's objection.

"In many cases, police who come to the site encourage victims to make settlements with the attackers instead of filing an official complaint. As many crimes go unpunished, people don't seem to be aware of the seriousness of the matter," she said.

The KMA survey showed that 81 percent of the doctors supported toughening penalties against attackers, and 87 percent agreed that they should face criminal punishment regardless of the victims' objections.

In response to such calls, Rep. Shin Hyun-young of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) proposed a revision bill to the Medical Law, Sept. 8, aimed at strengthening punishment, as well as protection measures.

The doctor-turned-lawmaker said harsher punishment, coupled with a robust reporting system and enhancement of security protocols at hospitals, is necessary in order to create a safer working environment for doctors, and ultimately protect patients' lives and health.

People walk past the entrance of the ER at Asan Medical Center in Songpa District, Seoul, July 19, 2020. Newsis

If the bill is passed, the heads of medical institutions will be obliged to report violent incidents immediately to the authorities. The Ministry of Health and Welfare would also conduct triennial surveys to collect data on workplace violence, based on which it would come up with additional response measures.

In addition, the revision bill would grant more power to security guards at ERs, enabling them to more actively step in, as well as conduct security searches on visitors if necessary.