Sebastián García-Zamora, Departamento de Cardiología, Sanatorio Delta, Rosario, Argentina
María G. Matta, Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad FASTA, Mar del Plata, Argentina
Jorge Juárez-Lloclla, Departamento de Cardiología, Hospital de Apoyo II Santa Rosa, Piura, Perú
Franklin E. Cueva-Torres, Departamento de Cardiología, Centro Cardiovascular CARDIOFE, Loja, Ecuador
Juan M. Farina, Departamento de Cardiología y Cirugía Torácica, Mayo Clinic, Estados Unidos
Josefina B. Parodi, Departamento de Cardiología, Sanatorio Anchorena, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Diego X. Chango, Departamento de Cardiología e Imágenes Cardiovasculares, Hospital Universitario del Río, Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador
Karina González-Carta, Departamento de Cardiología, Mayo Clinic, Estados Unidos
Ana Berni, Servicio de Electrofisiología, Hospital Ángeles del Pedregal, Ciudad de México, México
Rafaelina Concepción, Centro Médico Padre Fantino, La Vega, República Dominicana
Héctor Ortiz, Departamento de Cardiología, Hospital Herrera Llerandi, Guatemala, Guatemala
Ricardo López-Santi, División de Cardiología, Hospital Italiano de La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Ana Munera, Sociedad Colombiana de Cardiología y Cirugía Cardiovascular, Bogotá, Colombia; Cardiología no invasiva, Clínica Rosario, Medellín, Colombia; Cardioestudio, Medellín, Colombia
Adrian Baranchuk, División de Cardiología, Universidad de Queen, Kingston, Ontario, Canadá
Introduction: Violence against healthcare workers is a complex issue that seems to have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our objective was to investigate the disparities in such incidents between cardiologists and other physicians in Latin America. Method: We conducted an electronic survey utilizing convenience sampling among medical and non-medical personnel involved in healthcare activities in Latin America since March 2020. Results: A total of 3,544 participants from 19 countries responded to the survey, comprising 70.8% physicians, with an average age of 43.0 ± 11.3 years, 51.9% women. Among the participants, 84.7% had a specialization, with cardiologists accounting for 34.5% of the respondents. Overall, 58.4% of physicians reported experiencing violence, with cardiologists encountering it less frequently (40.0 vs. 66.0%, p < 0.001). The most prevalent perpetrators were family members, patients, and third parties (56.2%), with a comparable occurrence among cardiologists and other specialists (34.3 vs. 36.2%, p = 0.261). Of the participants who experienced violence, 75.0% reported symptoms including flashbacks, avoidance, hypervigilance, cognitive impairments, and mood disturbances. Additionally, 25.1% of assaulted physicians reported these incidents. Moreover, 59.9% contemplated altering their healthcare activities, and 34.5% considered leaving the profession, with slightly higher rates observed among other specialists compared to cardiologists (36.1 vs. 28.1%, p = 0.010). Conclusions: Our findings reveal high rates of violence against physicians in Latin America during COVID-19 pandemic. Although less frequent among cardiologists, the psychological and physical consequences, as well as the professional attitudes, were comparable across all healthcare professionals.
Keywords: Violence. COVID-19. Pandemics. Aggression. Latin America. Health personnel.