Human Bite of a Staff Nurse on a Psychiatric Unit

Occupational violence among health care professionals is a cause for concern, although often neglected especially in developing countries like India. Violence undermines the healing mission of the health care organization and interferes with the ability of the health care team to optimally contribute to positive patient outcomes. The authors discuss a case of a human bite of a staff nurse on a psychiatric unit in a tertiary care Indian hospital. The reported violence against this staff nurse lead to her admission for emergency care followed by emotional stress. Issues related to prevention of occupational violence are also discussed.