Why Abusive Incidents Against Physicians Are Rising and What Can Be Done about It

In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, the daily news began to report disturbing stories: family members becoming belligerent after being refused entry to their loved one’s hospital room, intensive care patients uttering verbal slurs at nurses trying to employ lifesaving oxygen equipment, and clinic personnel enduring physical attacks simply for enforcing a mask-wearing policy.

For much of the public, this was a first glimpse of such egregious behavior in a healthcare setting. But for experienced physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, these events represented an escalation in the ongoing pattern of difficult behavior exhibited by the people they are charged to serve.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rate of injuries from violent attacks against medical professionals grew by 63% from 2011 to 2018. And, although emergency rooms and psychiatry practices are the settings people typically associate with unruly behavior from patients, the fact is that incidents of verbal and physical violence are increasing across the healthcare spectrum, including in otolaryngology offices.

A 2022 literature review, published in the Journal of Public Health, concluded that violence against physicians and nurses is a global health problem, citing growing incidents of verbal threats, physical assaults, sexual abuse, ethnic harassment, reputation smearing, mobbing behavior, bullying, intimidation, and racial harassment.

At a time when medical science is making tremendous breakthroughs that enable physicians to help more people than ever, why have abusive incidents against them and their teams seemingly skyrocketed? And, more pressingly, what can be done about it? Many otolaryngologists find themselves walking a tightrope as they seek safe and ethical solutions in today’s increasingly volatile landscape.

An Erosion of Trust

Doctors’ offices and hospitals are already emotionally charged settings for patients and families, and it isn’t unusual to see normally calm individuals become rattled and even disruptive out of frustration and fear. In such instances, a cocktail of empathy and validation, provided calmly and sincerely, often prevents emotional fuses from lighting. Sometimes, however, the distraught person is already in a heightened emotional state over other stressors, and the healthcare professional has no idea what their back story might be.

These aren’t easy economic times, and for consumers, healthcare has become one of the biggest hurdles to getting by. “The healthcare system in this country is broken and gets more frustrating every day,” said Eric Gantwerker, MD, MMSc, associate professor, department of otolaryngology, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in Hempstead, N.Y. “People see other entities making money from healthcare while their own costs continue to rise. They don’t necessarily see justice being done on their behalf. In response, some individuals empower themselves by taking matters in their own hands.”