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Hostilities in Germany’s practices: “You have a bang”

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Hostilities in Germany’s practices: “You have a bang”

Going to work with a lump in your throat, practice employee Melanie Seibold can tell you a thing or two. “Verbal gaffes on the part of patients occur almost every day,” says the 46-year-old, who works in a doctor’s office near Stuttgart. In the past, the dear, good, nice patients were in the majority. “It hasn’t completely turned around, but it comes close.” The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians knows the problem – and the reasons.

“Verbal attacks and assaults are increasing in all practices,” says Günther Fuhrer. He is a surgeon in Reutlingen and one of the initiators of the campaign “Respect for each other”, with which doctors in Baden-Württemberg want to create more awareness of the problem in the population. Stickers, buttons and posters are now attached to Fuhrer’s practice.

Hostilities in medical practices: “The tone is getting rougher”

What do practice employees have to listen to? From sentences such as “You Spider”, “you have a bang”, “you are probably not very tight” to deserts, sometimes vulgar swear words and threats is there, says Seibold. “This development can be observed not only in Reutlingen, but in all parts of the country,” says Nicola Buhlinger-Göpfarth, chair of the Baden-Württemberg General Practitioners Association. “The sound becomes rougher.”

The background is diverse. In times of a shortage of family doctors, resources would become scarcer and waiting times for appointments longer. “However, there seems to be a general trend that people take their frustration out on helpers,” says Buhlinger-Göpfarth, also referring to the attacks on the police, rescue services and fire brigades, which have been making headlines for a long time.

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“Even then there were patients who raged in the waiting room”

The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians speaks of a “perceived” increase in aggression. “For example, scarce resources such as vaccines during the first phase of Corona pandemic led to a real rush to the practices,” says spokesman Roland Stahl. Many a patient did not take into account that older people or those with previous illnesses had been prioritized for vaccination. “The practice teams in particular got the anger.”

Open ruthlessness and rough tone were found in 2019, says the President of the Association of Medical Corporals (VMF), Hannelore König. “Even then, there were patients who lost every inhibition and raged in the waiting room or registering.” In 2021, the Medical Day also dealt with the topic and emphasized that violence against medical staff. In the meantime, medical specialists from all parts of Germany have reported increased aggressiveness. “It runs through all strata and regions.”

According to vmf President König and other experts, there are no numbers or valid statistics on the incidents. “Experience has shown that far too few such acts are reported.” At the suggestion of the association, a team of researchers around Professor Adrian Loerbroks from the University of Düsseldorf are now concerned with this topic. There are no results yet.

For “du wanker” there are a fine of 1000 euros

Attacks rarely make national headlines. Shortly before Christmas last year, according to the police, a 22-year-old hit an emergency doctor in Wernigerode am Harz in the face. He should have displeased the duration of his mother’s medical first aid.

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The suicide of an Austrian doctor who had publicly contributed to the Coronade debate triggered great concern, according to threats from opponents of vaccination last summer. As a consequence, the German Medical Association had called for educational campaigns. The legislator in Germany has now reacted and tightened criminal law, said Federal Medical Association President Klaus Reinhardt at the time. According to the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, there are now further training courses for self-defence.

Ariane Hanfstein, who has so far trained around 14,000 medical assistants and doctors in dealing with difficult patients and conflict situations, encourages her clients to report insults and insults. Sometimes she advises practices that are particularly affected to post a catalog of fines in the waiting room. It lists fines that have been imposed for certain swear words in various judgments. For example, 1000 euros would have been due for “You wanker”.

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