Vol 39, (5) 323-326
Patient initiated aggression and violence in Australian general practice
Laura Forrest PhD, is Postdoctoral Fellow, Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory.
Rhian Parker BSc(Hons), MSc, MPET, PhD, is Associate Professor, Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Kelsey Hegarty MBBS, PhD, FRACGP, DRANZCOG, is Associate Professor, Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne, Victoria
Hagen Tuschke is PhD Candidate, Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne, Victoria.
BACKGROUND Aggressive and violent behaviour by patients, or their relatives or friends, toward general practice staff is a matter of national concern. Forms of this behaviour include verbal and physical abuse, property damage, theft, stalking, sexual harassment and sexual abuse.
OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of patient initiated aggression and violence in Australian general practice a review of the literature was undertaken. Electronic databases were searched for relevant articles from 1989–2009.
RESULTS Four regional Australian studies and one national New Zealand study were identified for comparison. These studies provided varied data on the prevalence of patient aggression and violence perpetrated toward general practitioners. None of the quantitative studies included other general practice staff.
DISCUSSION Australian data investigating patient initiated aggression and violence in general practice are limited. Findings should be interpreted with caution due to methodological limitations. The lack of national data needs to be addressed.
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