Brisbane nurse uses jiu-jitsu to take down abusive, violent patient
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Security camera footage shows nurse Daniel Nelson taking down an intoxicated, aggressive man at the emergency department of the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM DANIEL NELSON/FACEBOOK
- Brisbane nurse Daniel Nelson used his 10 years of jiu-jitsu training to restrain a violent, intoxicated patient at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in October 2024.
- Nelson highlighted that violence against healthcare workers is common, as he urged more awareness and support for hospital staff.
- The World Health Organization and surveys show high rates of verbal, physical and sexual abuse against healthcare workers worldwide, with front-line staff especially vulnerable.
AI generated
More than a decade of jiu-jitsu training paid off for a nurse in Brisbane, Australia.
A now viral video, which surfaced online recently, shows nurse Daniel Nelson escorting a man from the emergency department of the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital at around 2am in October 2024.
The man turns, throws an object at Nelson and charges back through the foyer doors.
He appears to swing several punches at Nelson, who quickly wrestles him to the floor and restrains him until security officers arrive.
The footage, posted by Nelson on social media on July 29 to raise awareness about violence against healthcare workers, had been viewed more than 1.5 million times as at Aug 4.
Nelson said the man was an intoxicated patient who had been spitting on the floor and abusing staff before being asked to leave. He volunteered to escort him out, hoping to visit the coffee van parked outside along the way.
“In a stroke of genius, he decided he wanted a cuddle,” Nelson quipped. “Safe to say, it didn’t work out the way he expected.”
The man apparently had not counted on encountering a nurse with what Nelson himself described as a more than 10-year “obsession” with jiu-jitsu.
The takedown has attracted attention online, but Nelson said the episode exposed a far more serious problem.
“This is what many people never see,” he said, referring to workplace violence experienced by hospital staff.
Nelson said his training allowed him to defend himself, but the outcome could have been very different had the man attacked a smaller or more vulnerable staff member.
“Violence against healthcare workers isn’t ‘just part of the job’,” he said. “It’s unacceptable and alcohol is no excuse.”
Nelson praised fellow nurses and other healthcare workers who continue to turn up despite such risks.
“To all my colleagues who continue to show up despite this sort of behaviour: I see you and I appreciate what you do every day,” he said.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as many as six in 10 healthcare workers worldwide have experienced workplace violence.
Verbal abuse is the most common form of non-physical violence, reported by 58 per cent, followed by threats at 33 per cent and sexual harassment at 12 per cent.
Physical attacks are also common. The WHO estimates that between 8 per cent and 38 per cent of health workers experience physical violence at some point in their careers, with nurses, emergency department employees, paramedics and others providing direct patient care among those at greatest risk.
Singapore has not been spared.
A Ministry of Health survey in 2023 found that more than two in three health care workers had witnessed or personally experienced abuse or harassment during the previous year.
About a third of all respondents encountered it at least once a week, with nurses and other front-line employees especially vulnerable.
