Violence against private doctors: a damning investigation reveals an increase of 23% over one year

Les agressions envers les médecins ont augmenté. Illustration Unsplash. – Online Marketing

Ces dernières années ont été marquées par la multiplication des actes de violence envers les médecins. Dans quelles mesures ces agressions ont-elles augmenté et que demandent les professionnels de santé pour y mettre fin ?

Statistics confirm this: the Observatory of the Order of Physicians notes an increase of more than 23% over one year.

But many doctors speak of a much more worrying situation and seem to directly fear for their safety in the exercise of their activity.

1,244 incidents in 2022

The 1,244 incidents recorded by the Order in 2022 throughout the territory seem largely underestimated and have an impact on patient care.

Faced with insecurity, 12.6% of doctors reduce or stop on-call hours and 10.3% no longer provide home consultations. The results of the URPS Occitanie doctors survey are available on its website.

The numbers to remember

75.9% of doctors were victims of violence over the last 3 years, including 30% several times a year. 3⁄4 are violations à the person. 44% of respondents believe the systems or organizations put in place provision to ensure their safety unsatisfactory. 37% of doctors deal with situations of violence regularly (at least several times a month) but less than 10% are trained. The medical secretariats are then on the front line. 26% of doctors feel unsafe regularly. 18% of doctors who were victims of acts of violence over the last 3 years have filed a complaint. a complaint. Women are more victims (+15%) of acts of violence but file fewer complaints (-13%). This violence is more marked for group practices (+14%), and in rural areas (+5%).

A plan to secure health professions?

It is only in 2023 that the National Observatory of Violence in the Health Environment (ONVS) will make it possible to retrieve declarations from private doctors. A tool used only by 2.7% of professionals…

In this context, it remains to be noted that the government did not retain in its "Plan for the safety of health professionals, September 2023& quot; la proposal intended to consider that all health professionals are responsible for a public service mission and to also grant this status to personnel working as employees of independent health professionals.

This legislative development would have allowed these liberals to benefit from the various provisions of reinforced criminal protections, today only recognized for professionals of health working in a health establishment…