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Emergency Department Violence Stories

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Too many boarding

I’ve experienced many verbal attacks by angry family members of patients who are boarding in the ED. Patients are waiting too long for care because we have too many boarding.

Sometimes attacks happen after routine medical questions. I often receive threats from patients with mental illness who should not be sitting in my ED for days.

 - An emergency physician from West Virginia 

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Had security in a choke hold

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Assault almost every day

Spit and bit

We had a chronically violent and mentally ill woman who would regularly come to the ED.

Injured during routine triage

I have been attacked by multiple patients, even while simply assessing them during routine triage ov...

Tried to skewer me with IV pole

Violence against emergency physicians and staff must not be tolerated as “just part of the job.”

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