AGGRESSION AND VIOLENCE TOWARDS MEDICAL SPECIALISTS IN THE CENTER FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE IN THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA

Background The article aims to determine the most common manifestations of violence on the part of patients and their relatives towards the medical specialists working in the Centers for Emergency Medical Care (CEMC) in the Republic of Bulgaria. For this reason, emergency physicians and patients were surveyed. Scientific developments, reports, and publications by researchers and experts were studied and analyzed. Material and methods An interview and direct anonymous survey of 120 respondents working in the CEMC was conducted from 2018 to 2019. Results The lack of personal formation, emotional intelligence, cultural and moral upbringing, social experience, and moral and ethical values are the basis of aggressive behavior. The daily psycho-emotional load, accompanied by unfounded acts of violence by the patients and their relatives, leads to physical and mental fatigue, the development of burnout syndrome, as well as stress and dissatisfaction with the profession among the medical specialists of the CEMC. Conclusions Emergency medicine requires not only a high level of professional training but also mental and physical endurance to work in conditions of high risk not only to the health and life of the patient but also to their own.