Violence at work: the experience of general practice receptionists

Receptionists act as intermediaries between the General Practitioner and the public, and are often involved in conflicts between the GP and a demanding patient. However there is a paucity of research in this area. The aim of this study was to quantify the extent of violence directed towards GP receptionists and to categorise the type, frequency and impact of such aggression in two health board areas. A postal questionnaire was designed, piloted and sent to 400 randomly selected receptionists in the former Northern Area Health Board and the Western Health Board. We found that 62% (n= 168) of receptionists experienced violence in the past. 99% (n=166) had experienced verbal abuse while 31% (n=52) had experienced threats of physical abuse. 6% (n= 10) experienced physical abuse. In most cases the perpetrator was the patient 98% (n= 160). 28% (n=75) of practices had a practice policy for dealing with violence while only 13% (n=34) of receptionists received education on dealing with violence. This study shows that violence is a major problem among GP receptionists in Ireland. Aggression during the day is a regular feature for a GP receptionist. There is a higher reporting of violence in the Northern Area Health Board compared to the Western Health Board. We suggest that further education, research and practice policy development is needed to help target this problem and improve the overall quality of healthcare.     

Social work in general practice

A questionnaire seeking details of working arrangements and problems encountered was circulated to social workers working in general practice.

The main difficulties were: insufficient preparation for the scheme, poor communication between general practitioners and social workers, and the inadequate provision of facilities for social workers in practice premises.

Most of the respondents had not experienced big difficulties. Two thirds had enjoyed a rewarding professional experience, which is a testimonial to interdisciplinary co-operation.

     

Welfare to work: the role of general practice.

This paper considers the potential effects of the government's Welfare to Work policy on general practitioner (GP) working patterns, and aims to explore the relationship between unemployment, ill health, and GP sickness certification. Social security and employment policy initiatives are discussed in relation to the literature on the relationship between unemployment and ill health, sociological and psychological perspectives on work and unemployment, medicalisation of unemployment, adjudication of fitness for work, re-employment and health, and treatment of barriers to employment. The authors postulate that Welfare to Work policy may depend for its success on the crucial role of general practice in sickness certification.     

Gender differences in general practitioners at work.

BACKGROUND: The proportion of female general practitioners is steadily increasing. AIM: To compare male and female general practitioners with respect to their job satisfaction and professional commitments within and outside their practices. METHOD: A questionnaire was sent to all 896 general practitioner principals with patients in Staffordshire in 1994. The main elements were: job satisfaction (on a five-point scale) from eight possible sources; whether personal responsibility was taken for 12 different practice tasks; and professional commitments outside the practice. RESULTS: A total of 620 (69%) general practitioners responded. Female doctors derived more satisfaction than male doctors from relationships with patients (P = 0.002). Female doctors were more likely to be working in training practices, and were likely to be on-call less and to work fewer sessions. Male general practitioners were more likely to take lead responsibility for practice computers, minor surgery, meeting external visitors and finance, whereas female practitioners were more likely to be responsible for looking after women patients' health. CONCLUSION: Considerable differences were found between male and female general practitioners. These differences are likely to have an increasing impact as the percentage of female general practitioners continues to rise.