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Should Doctors/ Nurses be equipped with a weapon?

Ori

Angel slayer
I know it goes against the whole notion of someone who is supposed to preserve life, but with all the violence in modern hospitals, would it be better for them to have something to defend themselves with?
 

CaptainXeroid

Following Christ
All the violence? Do you have a link or some further information to back this up? Perhaps there were a few instances that got a lot of publicity, but I just don't recall hearing of widespread problems.:confused:

Doctors and nurses have enough to worry about with patients, and if there is a specific need, police officers or private security personnel who are trained in handling weapons can be brought in. So, my answer is NO.
 

Valjean

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Hospitals already have security officers, and they tend to concentrate in areas most susceptible to violence, like the ER.
 

michel

Administrator Emeritus
Staff member
CaptainXeroid said:
All the violence? Do you have a link or some further information to back this up? Perhaps there were a few instances that got a lot of publicity, but I just don't recall hearing of widespread problems.:confused:

Doctors and nurses have enough to worry about with patients, and if there is a specific need, police officers or private security personnel who are trained in handling weapons can be brought in. So, my answer is NO.
These figures are out of date, but I pulled two quotes from the first Google search.......You had better believe it!


quote:- 84,273 incidents of violence or abusive behaviour by patients within the NHS were reported during the year 2000/2001. Many more remained unreported. To these must be added even more incidents of disorder and incivility.

(fromsocialaffairsunit.org.uk/digip... )

Quote: "New guidelines to protect doctors and nurses 31/01/2003"

(Fromhttp://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2003/01/3026)
 

fromthe heart

Well-Known Member
I don't think the doctors and nurses need to take on weapons but perhaps the security could stand to be upgraded. Patients brought in with certian things that make them more of a danger to other patients could also be handled different to protect all in the area of these patients. they curently have restraint items that should be used perhaps more frequently...It really depends on the hospital and teh situations at each one.:)
 

Melody

Well-Known Member
I'll second FTH. Provide extra security in the appropriate situations and use restraints when necessary. There are enough nuts out there with guns. Do we really need more?
 

Valjean

Veteran Member
Premium Member
I can't speak for other hospitals but in our ER there are several security officers stationed at all times. I actually hesitate to call on them for violent patients since they tend to be a bit overenthusiastic.

On the patient floors there are no officers but dialing the emergency phone code will have them swarming onto the unit in less than a minute.

Patients likely to attract violent visitors are placed on DNA -- do not announce -- status. The hospital will not give the location of the patient or even acknowledge that such a person is a current patient.
 

michel

Administrator Emeritus
Staff member
FeathersinHair said:
They have one. It's a scalpel!

*ducks any nurses or doctors on the forums*
I love your answer feathers and I have just though of an other one - a sedative little dart in the neck. When they wake up, you tell them that they are suffering from a stomach disorder that requires having the stomach pumped, but also an enema....:biglaugh:
 

alowyn

Member
There was a serious case in Israel about a year back where the Medical sector went on strike because of the violence doctors and nurses suffered. I think it's disgusting the way some people treat people who are trying to save their/their beloveds' lives. Do people seriously think a doctor would not do everything in their power to save their patients? But they're still people, and people have limits and make mistakes. What exactly do these people hope to achieve? if you've knocked your doctor cold, he's not going to do a great job on getting you better.

But what exactly do we achieve by having doctors and nurses have weapons? so, the patient tried to hit you, and then you stabbed him with your scalpel. Now what? do you ask him how he is...? does he feel pain anywhere...?
And even tranquilisers can be dangerous to one's health... maybe we as human beings need to learn to trust our doctors, rather than destroy that trust further by putting proper weapons in their hands.
 

jamaesi

To Save A Lamb
To hell with the hippocratic oath!


With my experience with working with my mother at a facial surgeon´s office was the most dangerous paitents we had there were the prisoners and the welfare paitents.

Prisoners were brought to the office on special days with guards. You never were allowed to know what they did (which I think is bull, it should be tattoed on their foreheads, it´s frightening to not know whether this person stole a TV or raped and murdered a little girl) though you could usually tell by the number of guards. Two for nonviolent criminals, four for our death row buddies (who yes, your tax dollars are going to treat- they get better insurance than the vast majourity of most Americans. My favourite prisoner is the one who raped little girls and decided while in prison he needed a sex change surgery, sued my state when he didn´t get it fast enough, and got that surgery paid with my tax dollars. I can hardly get my insurance to cover surgeries I desperately need!)

The nonviolent criminals were usually the kindest and most polite ones- and probably there because of society failing them as most nonviolent criminals are there for. I remember packing up a bag of cookies for one prisoner and threatening the guards to give it to him after his surgery because he couldnt eat them before and when he saw them on the table in the room he was waiting in it looked like Christmas in his eyes.

As for the ones with four guards? We were in danger because a lot of the guards WOULDN´T DO ANYTHING. I´ll reference the Stanford Prison Experiment and how they found a few types of guards- kinder ones, ones that just go by the rules, and sadistic ones. That is absolutely true. Some of the guards were wonderful people and others made my skin crawl. The latter ones put us in danger. One of the violent criminals, when in the recovery room, decided to break glass containers of medical supplies and spit blood all over the walls and floor while screaming how he "couldn´t breathe!" The guards just stood around one said to the prisoner that if he didn´t "behave" he´d just have to mace him and then were would they be. That was until my mother screamed for them to get the hell out and get him back to the prison where he could recover or she´d mace them all.

In other cases a prisoner has gotten their hands on a knife or other tool, usually because, once again, some of the guards just don´t care. It´s very, very scary.


This isn´t to bash people on welfare, it´s just fact at the office. The only paitents that have ever gotten out of hand to the point they threw temper tantrums, broke things, and threatened the staff to the point we call 911 are welfare paitents. And they usually get this way because of their insurance not covering a cosmetic surgery they just /need/ or that we´re deliberately not getting them on the schedule fast enough.

For us, knowing the police station is just 500 feet or so away is comforting.



More secruity- that actually cares about their job- would help in a lot of cases. I hate to say this, but keeping an eye on certain types of paitents- especiallys ones with histories (yes, we keep records of who curses or threatens us when things just don´t go THEIR way so we know who to watch out for) would also work well also.
 

Crystallas

Active Member
Most Doctors(not all, but I do know my fare share of doctors) that I know experiment quite a bit with legal and illegal drugs. Sorry, I dont think the Doctors should have to worry about security(esspecially carry a weapon.) Its sad though that rent-a-cops cant do their job in many cases to take this worry away from some people.
 

Apotheosis

Member
If they find it necessary, after all, nearly all doctors treasure life, and thus they may be among the best people to carry weapons, using them as a last alternative. Although instead of a weapon I would suggest a strong sedative.
 

jamaesi

To Save A Lamb
Most Doctors(not all, but I do know my fare share of doctors) that I know experiment quite a bit with legal and illegal drugs. Sorry, I dont think the Doctors should have to worry about security(esspecially carry a weapon.) Its sad though that rent-a-cops cant do their job in many cases to take this worry away from some people.
I'm sorry, I can't quite make heads or tails of this.

Are you saying that just because some doctors use drugs all of them deserve to be put in danger?
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
Doctors and nurses already have plenty of weapons. Like Feathers said, the scapel is one, the various liquids used for injections, and many other things. Security officers also help.
 

Ryan2065

Well-Known Member
To me the weapon would just get in the way. And in the US I haven't heard about tons of people attacking their doctor. Usually they are there for help.
 
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