Increasing violence and threats against healthcare personnel: 'The fuse has become shorter in this country'

Threats of violence.

Employees being assaulted or attacked.

This is something that healthcare personnel in Region Hovedstaden are experiencing to an increasing degree, which can also be read about in Berlingske yesterday ( https://www.berlingske.dk/danmark/vold-og-trusler-er-et-stigende-problem-paa-hovedstadens-sygehuse?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AerBZYMgt81nKGlw7Z3Z2VhM6CjcKstHP23V-cRD_WnVeP009hX65ZlS3CoZ&gaa_ts=67ebf15d&gaa_sig=fSxsxMYYa6i4VARE-lh0egmX83ZV4yDzC-rQ0r_OxQAtSgxaj04xSYXR0PPHaLo32adTo_Rdhx9sxZW-MN3R6w%3D%3D ).

According to a report from the region, both physical and psychological violence incidents have increased significantly over the past two years.

- What we also hear from employees at hospitals and in the Acute Response Unit is that it is generally more serious incidents than before, and that employees are more affected by incidents.

This is what Lars Gaardhøj, chairman of Region Hovedstaden (S), says in a press release ( https://www.regionh.dk/presse-og-nyt/pressemeddelelser-og-nyheder/Sider/Region-H-oplever-flere-episoder-med-vold-og-trusler-mod-medarbejdere.aspx ).

Last year alone, there were approximately 800 registered cases where patients, on one hand or the other, exercised violence against nurses, doctors, and other employees at hospitals and in the Acute Response Unit in the region.

-----------------

Threatened with iron pipes

-----------------

The physical violence has increased by 69 percent since 2022, and the psychological violence and threats have increased by 92 percent in the same period, shows the report from the region.

And this can Michael Rosenstand Lerche, who is a nurse on the acute reception at Amager hospital, easily recognize.

- It is anxiety-provoking. I have tried to stand with a person completely in the head, who pulled an iron pipe up to hit me.

- I can certainly recognize the image, that we are beaten, and that we are threatened, he says.

And he is not the only one.

Also Lotte Klitfod, who is chief doctor in the acute reception at Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, experiences an increase in the number of violent patients.

And it can be anything from aggressive and frustrated patients to patients who are affected by alcohol, have a drug problem, or have a mental illness.

- We handle a lot of patients, and we always take the sickest first, before the less sick. And that can certainly result in some becoming frustrated over waiting times, both on their own behalf, but also on behalf of their relatives, she says.

--------------------------

'The line has become shorter'

--------------------------

It is especially in the acute receptions at Herlev and Gentofte Hospital and North Zealand Hospital, that incidents with violence and threats occur, shows the report.

Regions Council Chairman Lars Gaardhøj emphasizes that it is not unambiguously possible to say whether the increase is due to more incidents, or whether hospitals and the Acute Response Unit are becoming better at reporting and registering cases of violence and threats.

But he points to a general societal development.

- The line has become shorter in this country. We react very quickly to threats and even violence. It is coming into the hospitals, and that is something we must simply stop, he says.

In 2022, the highest number of reports of violence was registered in Denmark since we began to register it with Statistics Denmark in 1990, shows the region's report.

And 24 percent of all violent crimes are in the category "violence and similar against public authority", where hospitals are included.

It is possible from April 2, 2025 to hide employees' names in the electronic patient journal from patients who behave threateningly or violently. (Photo: Philip Davali, Ritzau Scanpix)

--------------------------------

It will be possible to hide names

--------------------------------

Region Hovedstaden has already started a series of initiatives that should make it safer to work at hospitals.

This includes, among other things, more preventive measures, competence development of employees, video surveillance, cooperation with the police, municipalities, and treatment centers, and follow-up on serious incidents.

At the same time, it will be possible from tomorrow to hide employees' names in patient journals if patients behave violently, and it is possible to omit the surname on the nameplate.

There is also a working group set up in the region, which will find more possible initiatives that can strengthen security.

- We have set up a working group, which for example looks at how the physical frames are on our acute receptions. Can one come away when the situation arises? Or can one come in around the clock?, says Lars Gaardhøj.

The working group will look more closely at, among other things, escape routes, locks, access conditions, and camera surveillance. The working group's investigations will be completed by summer.

Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.