They should keep their distance by staying about a leg-length away, and they should never block a person's exit route or try to take a weapon from him. After the incident, police should be informed immediately and post-traumatic counselling should be offered. Written or recorded messages should be kept as evidence and a note should be made in the person's medical record. Witnesses should be asked to make notes about the incident and the patient should be dismissed from the practice in writing. If applicable, the referring physician should be informed.
Danger can follow physicians home.
Several Canadian physicians have been murdered in their homes in the last 10 years, including at least one who was killed by an ex-patient. The police, who will conduct a home-safety audit if asked, say physicians should not list their home phone number and they should ensure that it is removed from phone Web sites. They should also carry a cell phone, avoid being alone in a parking lot or garage, and avoid travelling alone after hours. However, nothing prepared him for the psychotic visitor who barged into his office in 1996. Campbell says he had no previous indication that the man was psychotic, so at first he thought he'd missed diagnosing bowel cancer.