Almost two thirds of all physiotherapists operating in communities throughout the country have been exposed to violence, it emerged today.
A hard hitting study has revealed that the aggressor is most likely to be a relative or friend of the patient.
Research from the Royal College of Surgeon's in Ireland (RCSI), which has been touted as the first study of its kind, found that 73 per cent of those surveyed had direct experience of violent incidents.
Of those who encountered violence - all had experienced verbal aggression while 10 were also physically assaulted.
However, in the survey, which was carried out among the 103 members of the Chartered Physiotherapists in Community Care (CPCC), the majority said they felt safe in their job as a physiotherapist.
The study, which will be explored at the RCSI research day in Dublin later today, found that 64 per cent of those who responded to the survey had encountered verbal aggression from relatives or friends, while half experienced it from a patient.
Only 33 per cent of the physiotherapists that experienced violence had reported it to staff.
The RCSI survey found that the most common reason behind the aggression was the fact that the physiotherapist was seen to be representing the health system.
A project at the RCSI research day will also show that smoking is on the decline even amongst those who have been smoking for most of their adult lives. Another new study will also explore some of the major advances in breast cancer research at the RCSI Department of Surgery.
The researchers have developed a novel protein, which has been shown to increase a person's survival time by 30%, by blocking the breast cancer growth factor.