Willeke A. C. Duffhues, MD, was a Medical Student, at VieCuri Medical Center, Venlo, the Netherlands.
Dennis G. Barten, MD, is an Emergency Physician and Residency Director, Department of Emergency Medicine, at VieCuri Medical Center, Venlo, the Netherlands.
Health Secur. 2024 Aug;22(4):294-303. doi: 10.1089/hs.2023.0114. Epub 2024 May 7.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, violence targeting healthcare reportedly increased. Attacks against healthcare can severely hamper the public health response during a pandemic. Descriptive data analysis of these attacks may be helpful to develop prevention and mitigation strategies. This study aimed to investigate trends regarding COVID-19-related attacks against healthcare from January 2020 until January 2023. COVID-19-related incidents occurring between January 2020 and January 2023 were extracted from the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition database and screened for eligibility. Included incidents were linked to COVID-19 health measures or were attacks directly interfering with COVID-19 healthcare, including conflict-related attacks. Data collected per incident included temporal factors; country; setting; attack and weapon type; perpetrator; motive; number of healthcare workers (HCWs) killed, injured, or kidnapped; and health facility damage. The study identified 255 COVID-19-related attacks against healthcare, with 18 HCWs killed, 147 HCWs injured, and 86 facilities damaged. The highest attack frequency was reported during the beginning of the pandemic and predominantly concerned stigma-related attacks against healthcare. Reported incidents in 2021 included attacks targeting vaccination campaigns, as well as conflict-related attacks interfering with COVID-19 healthcare. COVID-19-related attacks against healthcare occurred in heterogeneous contexts throughout the pandemic. Due to underreporting, the data presented are a minimum estimate of the actual magnitude of violence. The findings of this study emphasize the importance of public education campaigns, improved coordination between healthcare organizations and law enforcement, and the possible need to bolster the security of medical facilities and health workers.
在 COVID-19 大流行期间，据报道针对医疗保健的暴力事件有所增加。攻击医疗保健可能会严重阻碍大流行期间的公共卫生应对措施。对这些攻击事件进行描述性数据分析可能有助于制定预防和缓解策略。本研究旨在调查 2020 年 1 月至 2023 年 1 月期间与 COVID-19 相关的针对医疗保健的攻击事件趋势。从 Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition 数据库中提取了 2020 年 1 月至 2023 年 1 月期间发生的与 COVID-19 相关的事件，并对其进行了筛选以确定其是否符合入选标准。符合入选标准的事件与 COVID-19 卫生措施相关，或直接干扰 COVID-19 医疗保健的攻击事件，包括与冲突相关的攻击事件。每个事件收集的数据包括时间因素；国家；背景；攻击和武器类型；实施者；动机；死亡、受伤或被绑架的医护人员（HCWs）人数；以及医疗设施受损情况。该研究确定了 255 起与 COVID-19 相关的针对医疗保健的攻击事件，其中 18 名 HCWs 死亡，147 名 HCWs 受伤，86 个设施受损。疫情初期报告的攻击频率最高，主要涉及针对医疗保健的污名化攻击事件。2021 年报告的事件包括针对疫苗接种运动的攻击事件，以及干扰 COVID-19 医疗保健的与冲突相关的攻击事件。整个大流行期间，与 COVID-19 相关的针对医疗保健的攻击事件发生在各种不同的情况下。由于报告不足，本研究中提出的数据仅是暴力实际规模的最低估计。本研究的结果强调了公共教育运动、改善医疗保健组织与执法部门之间的协调以及可能需要加强医疗设施和卫生工作者安全的重要性。
