Post-incident support for GP receptionists can significantly reduce the emotional toll of the growing workplace violence they are facing from patients, a new review suggests.

Australian researchers assessed 20 studies dating back 40 years exploring the abuse directed at frontline staff, revealing that patient aggression has become so frequent, it was now accepted as a normal workplace hazard.

Staff reported being called “dumb” and “lazy”, being subjected to shouting, screaming, cursing, racist language and sexist insults as well as accusations of malicious behaviour.

Lead researcher Dr Fiona Willer (PhD) from the University of Queensland said common triggers for abusive behaviour identified in the studies included frustrations with appointment scheduling, mistakes, delayed access to doctors and prescription refusal.