The abuse must end

With the vast majority of doctors increasingly experiencing work-related stress, Dr Ruairi Hanley believes it is time the profession tackles one contributing factor — the overly expectant patient who resorts to physically or verbally aggressive conduct. This week I intend to address an issue that few medical commentators and even fewer journalists will ever discuss. This is an issue that has adversely affected almost every doctor in the State, in particular those who work in general practice and emergency medicine. It is an issue that, thanks to a cowardly culture of political correctness, continues to be ignored by those in…