The decline observed in 2025 should not give the illusion of a return to calm. The Ordre national des pharmaciens has been informed 468 attacks targeting pharmacists, All professions combined, including 460 in the pharmacy sector. This total is down 12.6 % compared to 2024, but simply returns to the level recorded in 2023. These figures, by definition, only record the declared facts.
Violence remains primarily verbal. Among the different types of harm identified in 2025, 72.6 % corresponds to verbal violence or threats, 6.4 % for physical assaults and 4.9 % for death threats. The consequences are far from trivial: 83 of % the reports of personal harm submitted to the Order mention psychological repercussions.
The refusal to issue the permit, the first reason for tension
The refusal to issue a prescription accounts for 31.6 % % of the causes of harm to persons reported at the pharmacy. This is followed by patient impatience, difficulties with narcotics or similar substances, problems with the handling of prescriptions, and non-compliance with the pharmacy’s operating rules. Among the refusals, the most common situations involve an incorrect prescription, an expired prescription, the absence of a prescription, or a decision made in the interest of the patient’s health.
The pharmacist then finds himself in a delicate position: he must enforce the regulations while explaining to an upset patient that he will not be able to immediately obtain what he is demanding. The longer the explanation takes, the more contradictory it appears to the explanation given previously or it offers no concrete solution, the greater the frustration risks rising.
This does not mean that the team is responsible for the aggressiveness. On the other hand, clear and consistent information can prevent certain misunderstandings from turning into conflicts. During a shortage, a refusal, or an unusual delay, it is better to quickly announce what is blocking progress, what is within the regulations, and what can still be offered.
Recognizing the moment when the tension shifts
A louder voice does not always constitute an immediate threat. A worried, anxious or angry patient may still be able to hear an explanation. However, several signs should alert you: reduced physical distance, clenched fists, increasing agitation, repetitive statements, insults, threats, sudden gestures, fixed gaze on a member of the team or searching for an object to grasp.
At this stage, the goal is no longer to convince at all costs. It is necessary to slow down the exchange, maintain sufficient distance, and remain visible to colleagues. A threatening person should not be led alone into a closed, confidential space, which could isolate the professional and eliminate any possibility of communication.
The situation changes in nature even more when an explicit threat, a weapon, an attempt to cross the counter, a throw of an object or physical violence appear. It is no longer a matter of pursuing a relationship of care, but of taking refuge and alerting the law enforcement authorities.
Listening does not mean giving in
The first step is to identify the actual request. A brief phrase can help the patient feel heard: «I understand that this situation is causing you difficulties» or «I will take this situation back to you where it stands.» Recognizing frustration does not require either approval of the behavior or a reversal of a justified pharmaceutical decision.
The explanation should be brief. A lengthy regulatory demonstration risks being unhearable when anger has already been triggered. It is preferable to present the limit and the possible solutions successively: contacting the prescriber, seeking a different presentation, ordering the medication, referring to a healthcare facility, or proposing to take the file back with a second pharmacist.
The professional can also set an explicit limit: «I can continue to look for a solution with you, but not if you insult me.» This wording describes the unacceptable behavior without attacking the person.
On the other hand, phrases like «Calm down,» «It’s not my problem» or «It’s like that» usually end the conversation without addressing the difficulty. Similarly, irony, defiance, excessive familiarity, or the desire to have the final say all increase the risk of confrontation.
Passing the baton before being overwhelmed
Having a colleague involved is not a failure. A new person can break the situation and take things more calmly. The team can agree in advance on a phrase or word that allows them to discreetly ask for reinforcements.
The relay must, however, be organized. It is useless to have several team members running around giving different answers. Only one person takes over the exchange while a colleague stays nearby, shooing away the other patients if necessary and standing ready to trigger the alert.
When the limits are no longer respected, the maintenance must be interrupted clearly: «We can no longer continue this exchange. I ask you to leave the pharmacy.» In the presence of an immediate danger, you must call the police. 17, Without seeking to physically restrain the aggressor or recover a product or object at all costs. The Order also recommends preserving the evidence and having any injuries noted. (CNOP)
Preparing the team rather than improvising
The prevention of violence is part of the employer’s safety obligations, which must protect the physical and mental health of its employees through preventive actions, information, training, and an appropriate organization. This risk must be taken into account in the single occupational health and safety assessment document. (Legifrance)
Each pharmacy should therefore have a procedure known to all: who takes over, who calls the police, where the alarm buttons are located, how to protect other patients, which exits to use and who to notify after the incident.
The layout must also leave a clear path of escape for team members. Objects that could serve as projectiles should not be left within immediate reach in exposed areas. Isolated posts, sensitive schedules, and guards require special attention. Police and gendarmerie also offer Free security consultations which allows the vulnerabilities of the establishment to be identified.
The training sessions are all the more useful because they are based on real situations encountered: refusal of narcotics, falsified prescription, out-of-stock situation, dispute over a price, waiting or refusal by a third party to pay. Role-playing allows you to test words, physical positioning and the passing of the baton before being confronted with them in a real situation.
After the aggression, do not ask to be «moved on to something else»
Once the patient has left, the work does not necessarily resume as if nothing had happened. The victim may experience tremors, crying, a sense of being overwhelmed, guilt, hypervigilance, or, conversely, the impression of being perfectly fine. The psychological effects may also appear later.
The responsible person must verify whether the team member is truly able to continue their day, gather the facts without judgment, and retain the relevant elements: the identity of the witnesses, videos, photographs, messages, the issued order, or a precise description of the statements made. Depending on the circumstances, the assault may justify a medical certificate and a declaration of an occupational accident, including when the trauma is primarily psychological.
The declaration to the Order allows a security officer to be contacted and helps document the phenomenon. However, only 28.8 % of the reported attacks in pharmacies in 2025 had already resulted in a complaint being filed.
Since the law of July 9, 2025, the offense of insult has been extended to healthcare professionals and those working within a pharmacy. The employer may also file a complaint on behalf of a victim employee, after obtaining their written consent. However, for independent pharmacists, the mechanism allowing the Order or a URPS to file a complaint on their behalf remained suspended, at the beginning of July 2026, upon the publication of its implementing decree. (CNOP)
The team’s reflexes
- Facing tension: listen, rephrase, present the limitation and propose the truly possible solutions.
- In the face of insults: Remind them of the rule of respect once again and pass the baton if they persist.
- Facing threats: interrupt the exchange, maintain distance and prepare for an alert.
- In the face of a weapon or physical violence: Do not negotiate, get out of the situation and call the police immediately.
- After the events: protect the victim, preserve evidence, report the incident and consider filing a complaint.
