High time for ease the doctor-patient relationship in China

As doctors, we find it disturbing to read the paper “Burnout in physicians who are exposed to workplace violence” (January 2020).(1) Workplace violence experienced by doctors has been documented both in developed and developing countries. Reports show that Chinese medical professionals are being injured, disabled, or even killed by patients or their family members.(2,3) The killing of a doctor in Beijing in 2019 attracted national attention. China's top legislative body has approved the first fundamental and comprehensive law to protect health-care professionals. The bill will take effect on June 1, 2020. However, the law alone will not solve the problem. We need to treat it from the root and address the issues that have led to this health-care-related violence. A multi-faceted action must be launched to reduce violence against doctors in China urgently.