Two-thirds of B.C. doctors said they do not feel their workplace effectively addresses situations that may threaten or harm employees.
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More than half of B.C. doctors say they were harmed in their workplace last year, indicating a need for more protections for physicians, according to a new survey released Tuesday.
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The Doctors of B.C. survey of 2,300 B.C. physicians found that 51 per cent had experienced incidents of physical or psychological abuse in the past year while working in community clinics and hospitals.
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Previous surveys show the number of doctors impacted by violence in 2020 was 46 per cent, jumping to 50 per cent in 2021, and then dropping slightly to 49 per cent in 2022 and 2023.
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Dr. Adam Thompson, president of Doctors of B.C., says the spike to 51 per cent in 2025 is concerning, as it indicates that additional measures may be needed to curtail the increase in harm.
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“Doctors want to provide the best care possible to patients, but factors outside their control are contributing to issues like long wait times and overcrowding in emergency departments, insufficient mental health and addictions resources for individuals in crisis, and staffing shortages,” he said.
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The survey, which was conducted from Oct. 1 to Oct. 30, 2025, also found that two thirds of doctors do not feel their workplace effectively addresses situations that may threaten or harm employees, such as harassment, discrimination, or violence.
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Examples include aggressive and threatening behaviour, verbal abuse and physical abuse such as hitting, punching, or throwing objects.
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Doctors of B.C. is calling for increased hospital security, investment in real-time incident reporting, stronger incident response, and added preventive measures to address violence in health care settings.
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To address system pressures that can contribute to unsafe work environments, Doctors of B.C. is also calling for improved access to patient care, including for urgent mental health and addictions services.
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Postmedia has asked B.C.’s Health Ministry for a response to these requests.
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Overall for B.C., doctors’ satisfaction with the health authority they work for fell by four cent since 2023, according to the survey. The decrease in satisfaction levels fell the most in Interior Health Authority (down 12 per cent) followed by Fraser Health Authority (down nine per cent) and then the Island Health Authority (down one per cent.) Data was not available on this question for the Vancouver Coastal and Northern health authorities.
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There was, however, improvement on the question of whether doctors feel they are part of a collaborative team, with Northern Health reporting a seven per cent improvement since 2023, followed by a six per cent increase at Fraser and Interior health authorities. Vancouver Coastal and Interior authorities were up two per cent.
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On the question of whether the hospital or clinic takes effective action to promote a healthy and safe workplace, only Northern Health reported an improvement. All other health authorities saw a decline in a safe work environment, with Interior reporting the sharpest decline (down seven per cent.)
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The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.84 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
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More to come…
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