Just under one attack every two days. Doctors, nurses, health workers: no one is unscathed, even if nurses appear to be the category most at risk. There were 138 episodes of violence committed in 2023 against healthcare and socio-health professionals while they were working in Sardinia's hospitals. 199 workers wearing lab coats were affected : 139 women and 60 men. Of these, 124 are nurses, 38 are OSS and 33 are members of medical management.
The numbers on tense situations in the island's healthcare facilities are contained in the information to Parliament published this morning by the National Observatory on the safety of health and social-health professionals (Onseps), a body that reports to the Ministry of Health.
The national data is impressive: 16,000 assaults have been reported throughout Italy and the most affected are healthcare workers. There is talk of verbal violence, but also physical violence. «Two thirds of the attacks were reported by female professionals», it was explained (this figure is consistent with the gender structure of the national health system staff where over 65% of the operators are women) and the older age groups affected are those between 30-39 years and between 50-59 years".
On the island, the healthcare sector most involved is the psychiatric diagnosis and treatment service (SPDC) with 56 episodes. The most widespread type of aggression is verbal with 114 episodes, where the aggressor in 113 cases (out of 138 total) was a user or a patient.
Enrico Fresu
