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Residents' perspectives on violence and personal safety in the emergency department
D Anglin1, D N Kyriacou, H R Hutson
1Department of Emergency Medicine, LAC/USC Medical Center.
Study Objective:
To assess emergency medicine residents' perspectives on violence and personal safety in the emergency department.
Design And Participants:
Survey of all 461 current emergency medicine residents and 1992 graduates in the 13 emergency medicine residency programs in California.
Results:
Eighty-five percent of residents responded to the survey questionnaire. Sixty-two percent of respondents worry about their own safety while working in the ED. The majority of these respondents (72%), however, most fear a needlestick injury from an HIV-positive patient. Fifty percent of the respondents believe that their hospital/residency programs do not provide adequate security in the ED. Respondents overwhelmingly favor some form of gun control legislation.
Conclusion:
Violence and personal safety in the ED are major concerns of emergency medicine residents.