Dr. Dwayne Gard, Chief Hospitalist, Savannah Memorial University Medical Center, made the observation that over the past 10 years, aggressive behavior toward doctors and nurses has become more pronounced. And the hospital culture of downplaying employee abuse is pervasive.

He sees the aggression as a breakdown in communication that isn’t necessarily the fault of patients and their families. 

Rather, it is a sign of a health care system that is already complex and becoming more so, making it increasingly difficult for patients and their families to navigate the hospital system.