Workplace Violence After Surgical Complication

Seventy-five percent of doctors in India have faced work place violence according to the statistics available with the Indian Medical Association. Thus, this is a serious problem faced by the medical community. The doctors most affected are the emergency specialists, gynaecologists, physicians and surgeons. The occurrence of a post-surgical complication, resulting in morbidity or mortality of a patient is the most common reason for a surgeon to face workplace violence. Apart from errors in communication and perceived indifference of the surgeon, the main reason is financial strain on the patient party for which they are ill prepared and take their frustration out by intimidating or abusing the surgeon. And this leads to serious mental issues like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, burnout and defensive practise by the surgeons. There is an urgent need for the authorities both in governmental health and law enforcement to recognise this problem and institute effective measures to curb this menace, so that practising surgeons can function without fear or favour, to the best of their capabilities for the betterment of patients.