The only time I got abused/hit by a patient in 30 + years of emergency nursing was when I was rude to them. No excuses for violence I know, but many of us forget we are the service and the patient is the customer. And if we antagonise people in their most desperate hour of need by not acknowledging their concerns and /or treat them disrespectfully we put ourselves at risk. I never felt unsafe before or after that episode. I have found over that timeframe, that those who experience the most abuse are often abusive themselves.