• The results from an online survey carried out by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on the perception of safety and experience of workplace violence against doctors, specially during night shifts, was released in the Kerala Medical Journal. 

• Following were the findings -

  • 3885 doctors sent their responses, with a majority of the respondents being junior doctors (Interns or Postgraduate trainees) (61%) and women (63%). Almost 71% of respondents were 30 years old or younger.

  • Almost half (45%) of respondents did not have access to a duty room at night while a third of those with access to a duty room, didn’t have an attached washroom (31%). 

  • Meanwhile, 63% of respondents had a duty room far (100-1000 metres) to very far (>1000 metres) from their ward.

  • 35% of respondents reported feeling unsafe (0-3) or very unsafe (0) during night duties while rating safety on a numeric rating scale of 0-10.

• The results also showed respondents felt more unsafe when they didn’t have access to a duty room at night compared to those who had. 

• While respondents with an attached washroom felt safer compared to those who didn’t have one in their duty room. 

• Respondents in government hospitals  and junior doctors felt more unsafe compared to those in private hospitals or senior doctors respectively. (p<0.0001)

• These results show a stark need for better safety measures to improve the overall working conditions of doctors.

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