Christopher Lorenz works as a paramedic for the German Red Cross. On his last shift, he was confronted with aggression from a drunk patient who was taken to the hospital in Worms. “This most often happens with people who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Such patients are unpredictable”, says Lorenz. He himself has been the target of physical attacks on several occasions, and was even threatened with a firearm once: "These are situations where you are simply afraid to enter someone's home because you don't know if you will come out unharmed," he told public broadcaster ARD.
Attacks on doctors and nurses
According to a study conducted last year by the German Hospital Institute among 250 hospitals across the country, physical and verbal attacks on healthcare staff have increased. Almost three-quarters of the hospitals surveyed reported a moderate or even significant increase in attacks on medics.
Around half of the clinics said that emergency departments were particularly affected. The violence is mainly directed against nurses, but also against doctors. Approximately one in four hospitals uses security guards to protect both medics and patients, ARD said. An average of 130 patients a day pass through the emergency department of the Worms clinic. They often have to wait for a long time, their relatives are worried and nervous, and their mood can change quickly.
“People express their dissatisfaction in different ways - from insults, to threats, to physical attacks“, says Leander Bober, a nurse in the emergency department for 15 years. Patients come from different backgrounds and react differently in such a situation, he adds. Bober is determined to file complaints more often from now on because he wants to “make the phenomenon visible“ and show that the attacks cannot be tolerated, ARD reports.
In 2023, 13 cases of violence were registered at the Worms hospital alone, and the following year the number doubled. "We assume that the real figures are much higher, as not every incident is reported," says Ulrike Buchwald, head physician of the geriatric ward. 80% of the cases of violence are committed by men, ARD reports.
Lack of personnel is the main reason
The professional associations of doctors in Germany are observing with alarm that attacks - verbal, physical and sexual - are now part of everyday life in many places. The main reason for this is the lack of personnel and the high workload of medical staff.
The increase in violence against "public service workers" is not only observed in Germany. The reasons for this are different. For example, when patients feel they are being treated badly: "This feeling can arise when the waiting time in the emergency room is too long and unjustified from their point of view. Or when they are convinced that their health problems are not taken and treated seriously enough. They often find themselves in an emergency situation that is emotionally burdensome," explains Erika Zirsch, a professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen. In emergency rooms, clinics and other healthcare facilities, a shortage of medical staff can increase feelings of dissatisfaction, anger and helplessness. And another reason, Professor Zirsch points out: "In some patriarchal social structures, women's competence is questioned. It is no coincidence that men are most often the ones who show violence - "usually against doctors or nurses," she told ARD.
Help in emergency situations
The hospital in Worms has set up an internal telephone network for such cases: in the event of aggressive behavior, doctors and nurses can call a central number and ask for help. There are also security rooms where staff can seek refuge in emergencies. At the weekend, security personnel are present in the waiting room of the emergency department, where the tension is highest. In most cases, the presence of security personnel alone is enough to calm the tense situation, explains head physician Buchwald. This means that the police have to be called less often, although it does happen, she added to ARD.
The media also cites another result from the survey by the German Hospital Institute: 93 percent of the hospitals and clinics surveyed would welcome tighter legislation – in view of the growing violence against medics. Such a bill is already being prepared by the federal government, ARD adds.
Authors: Lucrezia Gatter ARD | Luisa Szabo ARD