Growing number of patients treated after fights, violence against caregivers... We take you to the heart of the bustling summer Emergency Department at the CHU Pasteur in Nice at the heart of the Emergency Department

In summer, the number of visits to the emergency room increases, but the reasons for consultations are not limited to summer problems such as bites or heatstroke.

"There are more victims of assault during fights, often in an alcohol-fueled context ," notes Teddy Rouane. "When someone has been the victim of violence, they don't leave without seeing a psychiatrist because the care is somatic and psychological. They leave with the necessary certificates to be able to file a complaint later. Moreover, if they don't take them, everything is recorded with us and we can give them back to them later."

"Too much violence against caregivers"

"There is a lot of violence, both physical and verbal. The situation has worsened over the past ten years ," laments Professor Julie Contenti. "We try to take maximum precautions, but we are never safe."

"For several months now, we have had alert buttons under the reception desks to discreetly call a security guard," says Teddy Rouane. There is now one guard permanently at the entrance to the Emergency Department and two on the premises.

Glass panels have been installed at the reception desk and at the nurses' stations in the treatment areas to prevent physical contact. "These stations are now open on both sides since a man threatened a nurse who found herself trapped. It's incredible what we have to do to ensure our safety," laments the emergency physician. Where does this violence come from? "It's not just in the hospital, it's everywhere in society, I think. The people who come in, patients or companions, are tense, some refuse to wait. They don't understand why others are going before them..."

As we were talking, a voice rang out: a nurse was calling a security guard. She asked him to remove a man who had just urinated against a wall. "This disrespect is intolerable," she told him.

"In the most serious cases, we also have a system that allows us to call the police very quickly," adds Teddy Rouane. And caregivers do not hesitate to file a complaint in cases of violence, theft, or insult. The Pradal law (1), adopted last June, makes things easier: the hospital can take this step on their behalf, thus avoiding their personal information appearing on the document.

1. Named after the former member of parliament for Alpes-Maritimes, Philippe Pradal.