More than 70 percent of testing and triage centers experience increased patient aggression toward staff because of travel testing. This was noted by the Domus Medica GP association after an internal survey at 56 test and triage centers in Flanders.
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For the past six weeks, test centers have been overrun by people who want to go on holiday. And that is not always without a struggle. This mainly concerns verbal aggression towards staff, both in the centers on site and by telephone. Sixteen percent of centers also report instances of physical assault. In some centers (13 percent) a police intervention was already necessary to calm the mood.
Many travelers come to the test center without a code for a free test or they show up without an appointment. 59 percent and 54 percent, respectively, of center managers indicate that these are the most common reasons that give rise to aggression towards staff.
In addition, there are other reasons for the increased aggression, in particular “the free code has expired, making the test pay” (46 percent of the centers), “the results do not come in time for departure” ( 43 percent of the centers), “the patient has to be quarantined, but does not agree with this” (25 percent of the centers), or “the patient is misunderstanding the waiting time for test administration” (18 percent of the centers ).
Together with the test center managers, Domus Medica calls on travelers to better prepare for a holiday abroad. It is necessary to consult the travel advice on the government websites (www.re-open.eu or https://diplomatie.belgium.be/nl). In addition, travelers must request a code before departure via www.mijngezondheid.be for a (free) test. By scheduling an appointment at a test center in time, they don’t have to worry about the waiting time for their test result.
In addition, Domus Medica encourages the travel sector and the government to keep repeating the information campaigns. The travel sector and the government should also urgently create a single website where all information about travel and requesting a test is centralized. Domus Medica notices that too many people can no longer see the trees for the woods, so they end up at the test centers with all their questions.
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