Behavior of pediatric medical residents during a clinical simulation of a violent mother in a pediatric emergency.

INTRODUCTION Physicians are frequently victims of both physical and verbal violence. Specific training is required for staff so that they are able to deal with these situations. OBJETIVE To assess the clinical management and behavior of pediatric medical residents towards a violent mother during a pediatric emergency simulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS To assess the clinical management and behavior of pediatric medical residents towards a violent mother during a pediatric emergency simulation. RESULTS Sixty-eight pediatric medical residents divided into 15 groups were observed. Twelve handled the episode appropriately; only two groups asked the security staff to remove the mother from the scene (recommended behavior). Other two groups managed to remove the mother from the clinical scenario but in the midst of struggles. Out of all physicians, 54.4% (n = 37) came into physical contact with the mother, and 95.6% had not previously received guidelines on how to manage violent situations. CONCLUSIONS Only a few groups managed to remove the violent mother from the scene. Unconsented physical contact with the mother was one of the most commonly observed behaviors. A lack of institutional guidelines on how to handle violent situations was detected. KEY WORDS patient simulation, violence, workplace violence.