, University of Minnesota Medical School researchers have examined homicide rates of health professionals in the United States to inform prevention interventions and strategies.
The research team used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Violent Death Reporting System to collect data on the number of homicides among ten types ofThe study found rates of homicides of health professionals are lower than the general population. Few of these homicides were related to professionals' work. Most often, it's related to other facets of their life, such as944 homicides of these professionals were reported to the NVDRS between 2003 and 2020.
Overall, the number of homicides within these professions correlated highly with the size of professions' workforces. For example, the health profession with the highest number of victims was nursing, which reflects that nursing is the largest health care profession. Further research is suggested to provide greater insights into emerging trends, which will inform strategies to mitigate homicide risk in health professionals.