The Guardia Civil is investigating the assault of an emergency doctor at a health centre in Colindres (Cantabria).
A 51-year-old woman allegedly assaulted the doctor who was attending to the emergency room after demanding a prescription for a non-urgent medication.
She is charged with assaulting a medical professional in the performance of her duties.
After not receiving the prescription she had requested, the patient began to berate the professional, hitting her on the side when she was getting up from a chair.
The Guardia Civil has been developing a comprehensive plan for the safety of health professionals with the aim of increasing the security of medical centres and their staff.
Both professionals working in medical centres and their users can call the Guardia Civil on 062, which operates 24 hours a day, if any incidents threaten the proper functioning and safety of these centres. In addition, there is a police health contact person available to advise them if they are involved in this type of conflictive situation with patients.
Social Media Campaign
The Guardia Civil has launched a series of social media posts together with Dr. José Abellán (@doctorabellan) and nurse Esther Gómez (@mienfermerafavorita) to prevent attacks on healthcare professionals.
“Imagine that you are at your workplace and someone comes in and starts shouting at you, insulting you or even trying to attack you. Well, that is what we healthcare workers often suffer.” This is how one of the videos that will be published throughout this summer on social media begins, with a triple objective.
The first objective is to promote a culture of safety among healthcare personnel so that they can detect and prevent aggressive behaviour and, if it occurs, know how to act. This line also aims to raise awareness of the importance of filing the corresponding complaint.
“…we need you to report any assaults you have suffered without hesitation. And we are not just referring to physical assaults, but also if you have been harassed or threatened in your healthcare centre, it is essential that you let us know. Always remember this: insults and threats not reported today could become something worse tomorrow,” says another of the videos.
The second objective: to raise awareness of the role of the police health interlocutor, a direct link between the Guardia Civil and hospitals and health centres responsible for offering advice to professionals to deal with different situations with problematic patients.
The third objective is to raise awareness and sensitize the general population, reminding them that assaulting a health professional is a crime. “It is important not to normalise the behaviour of those patients who believe that anything goes. Report it,” they warn.
