Healthcare workers in Bahrain are calling for stress management courses to help them deal with the daily barrage of verbal assaults they often receive from unco-operative patients.

The call was made yesterday (April 21) during a Health Ministry-organised medical ethics workshop being held at the Gulf Hotel, Bahrain, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

"Everyone talks about patients' rights but what about the healthcare workers? We deal with daily stresses and still have to function to help people," said Salmaniya Medical Complex consultant neonatologist Dr Mona Al Juffairi.

"Nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers in Bahrain are under stress and there should be steps taken to help them relieve this stress such as meditation or exercise."

She was speaking yesterday on the sidelines of the two-day event, which is being attended by healthcare workers from across Bahrain.

Consultant Family Physician Dr Eman Alarayadh told the GDN that the doctor-patient relationship had changed in recent years, with patients becoming more demanding and aware of their rights.

"The expectation among patients is very high but doctors have to stick to medical ethics and professionalism at all times," she said.

"Sometimes we get patients at health centres who verbally abuse the doctors or walk into their rooms before their names have been called."

Patients who make frequent unnecessary visits to health centres were another problem that needed to be curbed, the doctor said.

"Sometimes they do not need to see a doctor but visit the health centre anyway and this affects other patients who genuinely require diagnosis.

"From our experience, expatriate patients respect doctors and listen to their advice while certain members of other groups do the opposite."

Also speaking during the workshop yesterday was Consultant Family Physician Dr Sonya Al Mohammed who stressed the need for high levels of ethics in medicine.

"We are briefing healthcare providers through these workshops on the importance of medical ethics, patient consent and confidentiality," she said, adding that an ethical committee for primary care was being set up at the ministry to help medics take proper decisions and follow up on their questions.

Such questions could include the sharing of patient information to prevent child abuse, suicide or the spread of infectious disease, Dr Al Mohammed said.

The conference ends today with topics still to be discussed including hypertension management and the ethics surrounding abortion and "end-of-life care". - TradeArabia News Service