Lorettu Liliana, Falchi Lorenzo, Nivoli Fabrizia L, Milia Paolo, Nivoli Giancarlo, Nivoli Alessandra M
Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, AOU-Sassari, Università di Sassari.
Presidente Società Italiana di Psichiatria Forense.
Riv Psichiatr. 2015 Jul-Aug;50(4):175-80. doi: 10.1708/2002.21646.
To examine possible risk factors for the doctor to be killed by the patient in the clinical practice by examining a series of murders that involved physicians.
This aim has been achieved through a retrospective review on clinical cases of doctors killed by patients within the period between 1988 and 2013, in Italy.
In this period 18 Italian doctors have been killed in the workplace, with a rate of 0.3/100,000. In 7 cases, the murder resulted in the context of doctor-dissatisfaction; in 7 cases the murder was committed by a psychiatric patient; 1 case in the context of a stalking; 3 cases occurred in a workplace which was not safe enough. Four categories of at-risk contexts have been identified. One category includes a murder in the context of a doctor-dissatisfaction, perceived by patient. The second category concerns murders committed by patients suffering from mental illness. A third category includes homicides in a workplace which is not safe. The last category comprises the murder in the context of stalking.
These categories identify specific dangerous situations for physicians, in which are highlighted elements that have played a crucial role in the murder and for which special precautions are suggested preventive.
