@article {Sprigg281, author = {Christine A Sprigg and Christopher J Armitage and Kate Hollis}, title = {Verbal abuse in the National Health Service: impressions of the prevalence, perceived reasons for and relationships with staff psychological well-being}, volume = {24}, number = {4}, pages = {281--282}, year = {2007}, doi = {10.1136/emj.2006.038166}, publisher = {British Association for Accident and Emergency Medicine}, abstract = {Aim: To investigate the prevalence, perceived causes and relationship to psychological well-being of verbal abuse in a National Health Service (NHS) ambulance service control room (ASCR). Method: Questionnaire survey with ASCR personnel (nā€Š=ā€Š48). Results: 7\% of calls per shift were verbally abusive; the most common sources were patients or emergency callers. Verbally abusive calls were associated with staff having poorer mental health and the desire to leave. Conclusion: Support from managers in the form of clear protocols to deal with abusive callers and training in verbal de-escalation techniques are recommended.}, issn = {1472-0205}, URL = {https://emj.bmj.com/content/24/4/281}, eprint = {https://emj.bmj.com/content/24/4/281.full.pdf}, journal = {Emergency Medicine Journal} }