Emergency department staff at Christchurch Hospital are still being punched, spat on, sworn at and sexually harassed by patients, despite efforts to stem the violence and aggression.
Recorded rates of abuse have remained relatively static over the course of a seven-year study, but Canterbury and Otago University researchers suspect that's because front-line workers are under-reporting it.
Christchurch ED researcher and study lead author Dr Sandy Richardson spoke to Susie Ferguson.
