A hospital’s emergency room is a place where rapid care and life-or-death decisions are often at stake. Patients and their families often find themselves in extraordinary situations that are fraught with worry, fear, and stress. Nevertheless, emotional distress does not justify insults, threats, or physical assaults against staff members.
GPR Klinikum is therefore sending a clear message and drawing attention to its stance with a new sign in the emergency room:
Zero tolerance for violence. All insults and acts of violence will be reported to the police.
“Our employees come to work every day to help people and provide medical care. They deserve respect and appreciation for this—and, above all, a safe workplace. It is absolutely unacceptable for them to be insulted, threatened, or even physically assaulted while on the job. We will not tolerate such incidents and will consistently report them to the authorities,” explains Stefan Münch, head of the emergency room at GPR Klinikum.
This does not mean, however, that we should lose sight of the concerns and fears of patients and their families. An understanding approach is particularly important in the emergency room. At the same time, though, it must be clear that mutual respect is the foundation for effective medical care.
“We know that wait times in an emergency room can sometimes be long and that the situation is stressful for patients and their families. However, treatment is provided based on medical urgency. The emergency room team bears a heavy responsibility and does its best every day. Aggression and violence make their work even more difficult and can never be justified,” said GPR Managing Director Achim Neyer.
With this highly visible message, GPR Klinikum aims both to support its employees and to raise awareness among patients and visitors about the importance of treating one another with respect.
The message is clear: Help and understanding are a given; violence and insults are not.