Alarming survey

Every tenth hospital patient is a victim of violence

The victim protection group at Vöcklabruck Hospital, headed by Maria Fitzinger, advises victims of domestic violence. 90 percent of them are women.(Bild: FL)

Women come to the accident and emergency department in Vöcklabruck in Upper Austria with bruises, broken bones and sprains. An anonymous survey is alarming: ten percent of the injuries were actually caused by beatings and domestic violence. Hospital social worker Maria Fitzinger describes everyday life and what those affected can do.

"It was clear to me that it couldn't have been everything. We often have patients who say they come in after falling down the stairs, but there's actually something completely different behind the injuries." This is why Maria Fitzinger, social worker at the Salzkammergut Klinikum Vöcklabruck, arranged for an anonymous survey to be carried out.