Violence in forensic medicine practice: a survey of legal medicine practitioners' views.
OBJECTIVE
: To survey the extent of abuse and violence directed toward legal medicine practitioners during the course of their professional duties and to categorize the characteristics of such aggression.


METHODS
: Retrospective survey of the views of a large sample of Tehran's legal medicine practitioners by using a piloted anonymous questionnaire.


RESULTS
: In all, 105 (86.1%) of the responders had experienced verbal abuse during the previous 12 months, 79 (64.7%) had experienced some sort of verbal abuse at least once a month, 39 (32%) had experienced verbal abuse every week, and 13 (10.7%) had experienced verbal abuse every day. Of the 122 legal medicine physicians, 39 (32%) were exposed to specific threats, 8 (6.6%) were exposed to physical action without injury, and 7 (5.7%) had experience serious incidents including threats with a weapon or attacks leading to physical injury over the previous year. Even assuming that all the nonresponders did not experience any violence, the aggression by patients affected 75% of legal medicine practitioners in the Tehran province.


CONCLUSIONS
: Violence toward Tehran's legal medicine practitioners is very common and may be increasing. Some of the participating factors of aggression are potentially avoidable and practices should make strenuous attempts to identify such factors and remedy them. Staff training in interpersonal skills and recognizing anxious patients are essential. Doctors should avoid delays for patients by rearranging the booking policies, visit times, and duration. Victims of aggression must be followed up.
Sheikhazadi
Ardeshir
A
Department of Legal Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. ardeshirsheikhazadi@yahoo.com
Mehrzad
Kiani
K
Fakhredin
Taghaddosinejad
T
D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000453:epidemiology; D001007:Anxiety; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005239:Fear; D005249:Fees and Charges; D005260:Female; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010820:Physicians / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016495:Police; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014705:Verbal Behavior; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology