Violence towards doctors in Bulgaria - pilot results on general practitioners views.
BACKGROUND
Violent behaviour may be an appropriate response to a given set of environmental conditions in nature. Social organizations as power systems ensure stability through force or threat. However, there is a growing concern about the violence against health service staff in both hospitals and outpatient facilities.


OBJECTIVE
To study the frequency, types and determinants of patient violence towards health professionals in primary care in Bulgaria and to find the specific characteristics of violent behaviour in patient subgroups as well as the attitudes of providers.


METHODS
A sample of 165 doctors from primary care institutions in Bulgaria participated in a questionnaire study using a specially developed research tool.


RESULTS
Prevalence of violent patient behaviour has not been studied extensively in Bulgaria leaving a gap in research data. The participating physicians, however, reported that there is a serious increase in the frequency and diversity of aggressive behaviour towards medical profession by patients and negative attitude of the general public indicating serious issues in public health care.


CONCLUSIONS
Most often patients' aggression was provoked by factors associated with the health system organization and effectiveness and the socio-economic status of the population.
Department of Health Management, Faculty of Public Health, Health Economics and Primary Care, Medical University, Plovdiv, Bulgaria. donka_d@hotmail.com
Donka D
DD
Dimitrova
Lubomir K
LK
Kyrov
Nevena G
NG
Ivanova
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000374:Aggression; D005260:Female; D058005:General Practitioners; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D014754:Violence