'It’s not part of the job': ER violence on the rise in P.E.I.
Two violent incidents in Prince Edward Island are just an example of the danger health-care workers face in crowded emergency rooms.
One P.E.I. ER physician says it’s a national trend with reports of violence increasing by 70 per cent over the last decade
“I’ve been assaulted. I’ve seen our nurses assaulted,” said Dr. Trevor Jain, a spokesman with the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP). “In my emergency department, recently, we’ve had a code silver, with extreme violence in the emergency department.”
Police say a man threw chairs and threatened people with a pencil at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital emergency room last week.
Officers used a Taser to subdue the man.
Health Minister Mark McLane was questioned shortly after it happened
“We have invested in security in order to protect our workers. We understand they’re under some significant challenges in all of our facilities,” he said. “It’s important we protect them as much as we can.”
Health PEI says they met with staff immediately after the incident and security protocols aren't being changed.
A patient at the new mental health ER is accused of assaulting a pair of nurses last month. Their union says they’re looking for answers.
“PEINU has requested the latest risk assessment results for the QEH Emergency Department,” said Barbara Brookins, president of the Prince Edward Island Nurses Union. “As of now, we have not received this crucial information.
Health PEI says they’re in regular discussions with unions about any incident involving violence and safety and the safety of staff is vitally important.
Dr. Jain said doctors aren’t supported when they face violence and he wants to see accountability among senior management.
“To make it a culture of safety, and realize that no, you know, being punched in the face, bitten, or worse, equipment damage that could affect other patients, is not appropriate,” said Dr. Jain. “It’s not part of the job.”
He said, after an assault, doctors feel abandoned under the current system and they want sweeping changes to fix that.
CAEP has released a list of 18 recommendations to that effect.
For more Prince Edward Island news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Board orders deportation for trucker in horrific Humboldt Broncos crash
The truck driver who caused the horrific bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team has been ordered to be deported.
Italian teenage computer wizard set to become the first saint of the millennial generation
Pope Francis paved the way for the canonization of the first saint of the millennial generation on Thursday, attributing a second miracle to a 15-year-old Italian computer whiz who died of leukemia in 2006.
Milk sold in Canadian grocery stores tested for avian influenza; results released
As avian flu spreads south of the border, Canadian officials are now testing samples of milk sold in grocery stores across the country.
Morgan Spurlock, Oscar-nominated director of 'Super Size Me,' dies at 53
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar-nominee who made food and American diets his life's work, famously eating only at McDonald's for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died. He was 53.
'A really bad car crash': Why health experts are raising concerns over surging syphilis cases
A sexually transmitted infection (STI) that was once thought to be a thing of the past is now a public health priority for North American doctors.
Top Russian military officials are being arrested. Why is it happening?
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.
Leaving time on the table: Surveys show unused paid vacation, 'quiet vacationing'
'Quiet vacationing' is the latest new term to describe the rough edges of office culture, and survey data shows it's widespread among North American workers.
Toddler dies after being struck by recycling truck in Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood
A toddler has died after being struck by a recycling truck in a Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon.
Helicopters, impersonations and squeezing through the fence: a brief history of Quebec prison escapes
Friday's warrant for prison inmate Yacine Zouaoui, 32, is the latest in hundreds of reported prison breaks in Quebec. Sometimes, they just walked away; sometimes they went through a fence, and twice they used a helicopter.