Innovative Journal Journal of Medical Biomedical and Applied Sciences 2277:4939 10 05 Violence against Doctors: Experiences and Perspectives of Medical Practitioners from Gujarat 1 Anish Sinha Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar, Gujrat Apurva kumar Pandya Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar, Gujrat Shyam Pingle Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar, Gujrat Journal Article https://doi.org/10.15520/ijmhs.v10i03.285 Abstract Background: Incidents of violence against medical practitioners are making headlines in the media and is increasing since a decade. Aim: This study assessed incidents of violence against medical practitioners from public and private healthcare settings and from various specialities in Gandhinagar District of Gujarat. Methods and Materials: Using a cross-sectional research design, 72 medical practitioners, from different specialities including family physician and from various practice settings in Gandhinagar district of Gujarat State, were briefly interviewed using the semi-structured interview protocol. Results: Incidents of violence against medical practitioners is on rise in the recent time. More than half medical practitioners (57%) reported being subjected to assault in last 1 year, 13% had reported experiencing some sort of abuse last quarter whereas 8% of them expressed experience of assault at-least once in a quarter. Medical practitioners in critical care unit, emergency care, surgical specialities, and male doctors reported higher incidents of violence compared to their counterpart. Key determinants of violence were death of a patient, distrust on doctors and treatment, high fees, very high expectations from medical practitioners, dissatisfaction from treatment services, intoxicated patients’ relatives, high workload and limited manpower especially in Government sector and media over-reaction. Conclusion: The study revealed high incidence of violence against medical practitioners. Some of the causes of aggression are potentially preventable. In addition to the law for protecting medical practitioners from violence, training on communication skills and centralised recording of incidents need to be prioritized. 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