title: [Murder of the doctor].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine possible risk factors for the doctor to be killed by the patient in the clinical practice by examining a series of murders that involved physicians.
  
  
  METHODS
  This aim has been achieved through a retrospective review on clinical cases of doctors killed by patients within the period between 1988 and 2013, in Italy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this period 18 Italian doctors have been killed in the workplace, with a rate of 0.3/100,000. In 7 cases, the murder resulted in the context of doctor-dissatisfaction; in 7 cases the murder was committed by a psychiatric patient; 1 case in the context of a stalking; 3 cases occurred in a workplace which was not safe enough. Four categories of at-risk contexts have been identified. One category includes a murder in the context of a doctor-dissatisfaction, perceived by patient. The second category concerns murders committed by patients suffering from mental illness. A third category includes homicides in a workplace which is not safe. The last category comprises the murder in the context of stalking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These categories identify specific dangerous situations for physicians, in which are highlighted elements that have played a crucial role in the murder and for which special precautions are suggested preventive.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, AOU-Sassari, Università di Sassari.
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lorettu
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, AOU-Sassari, Università di Sassari.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Falchi
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, AOU-Sassari, Università di Sassari.
authors.forename: Fabrizia L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Nivoli
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, AOU-Sassari, Università di Sassari.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Milia
authors.affiliation: Presidente Società Italiana di Psichiatria Forense.
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nivoli
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, AOU-Sassari, Università di Sassari.
authors.forename: Alessandra M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Nivoli
mesh_terms: D006708:Homicide / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D055807:Stalking / Q000453:epidemiology; D064450:Workplace Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data