title: Aggressive patient behaviors related to medical care: a cross-sectional self-report survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the self-reported prevalence of aggressive and/or disruptive behaviors by patients as related to their medical care.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a cross-sectional, consecutive sample of internal medicine outpatients (N = 397), respondents reported on 17 aggressive and/or disruptive behaviors related to their medical care. Data were collected during November 2010.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this sample, 48.9% of respondents endorsed at least 1 of the proposed aggressive behaviors; 9.1% endorsed 1 behavior, 20.4% endorsed 2 behaviors, 10.3% endorsed 3 behaviors, 5.5% endorsed 4 behaviors, and 3.5% endorsed 5 or more behaviors (the maximum being 11). The most commonly reported behaviors were talking negatively about medical personnel to family (41.3%) and friends (39.5%), threatening to hit or strike medical personnel (7.1%), and refusing to pay a bill because of dissatisfaction or anger (6.8%). No participant reported being escorted off premises by security or being charged with assault in a medical setting. For those who reported 1 or more aggressive behaviors, there were no gender differences, but younger and better educated patients were more likely to report such behaviors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While the majority of patients do not evidence aggressive behaviors related to their medical care, a small minority do report such behavior, some of which can be disruptive as well as dangerous.
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Wright State University School of Medicine, Dayton, Ohio, USA. Randy.sansone@khnetwork.org
authors: Randy A
authors: RA
authors: Sansone
authors: Shahzad
authors: S
authors: Farukhi
authors: Michael W
authors: MW
authors: Wiederman