Verbal and Physical Aggression Against Resident Physicians in Two General Hospitals in Baghdad

Aggression in the workplace is an ill-defined and underreported concern for physicians. This study attempts to assess the risk of aggression on resident physicians. From September to October 2001, all 80 resident physicians working in two Baghdad public teaching general hospitals, Al Yarmook and Al Kendi, received a retrospective questionnaire about patient aggression. Sixty-six males and 14 females completed the questionnaire. Seventy participants (87%) had experienced aggression by patients or their relatives, and these aggressive acts were primarily verbal (95%). The rate of experiencing aggression was higher among the junior residents. Only 59% of participants informed the hospital administration about their experience of aggression and 34% of them were satisfied with the response by the administration. Most of the participants avoided talking about their experience and considered it emotionally painful or annoying. The participants continued to experience aftereffects of the aggression. Resident physicians should be trained to deal with the risk of aggression from patients and their families.