Violence in Clinical Forensic Medicine

Abstract

Objective: to investigate the levels of physical and verbal violence experienced in the preceding year by doctors working in clinical forensic medicine.

Design and subjects: anonymised questionnaire sent to all full members of the Association of Police Surgeons.

Results: 517 eligible questionnaires were returned; 18.2 per cent of respondents had experienced physical violence, a total of 150 incidents. Of those incidents ‘warning signs’ of violence had been present in only 25 per cent. A total of 54 working days were lost. Injuries included a fractured wrist and corneal scarring.

Of the respondents, 65.5 per cent had experienced verbal violence (of which the most common type was obscenity); 11.8 per cent had received training in dealing with verbal violence and 10.4 per cent in dealing with physical violence; 88 per cent believed that training on how to deal with violence should be part of police surgeon/forensic medicine training.

Conclusion: verbal and physical violence are common in clinical forensic medicine. Training in dealing with these issues should be introduced.