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The authors present the issues surrounding increasing violence against healthcare professionals, especially in regions where the geopolitical or socioeconomic conditions have created environments with lack of security. One major issue cited is the lack of ongoing research into these issues.

The authors relied principally on data procured through two research workshops conducted and on anecdotal evidence gathered.

• "Despite the urgency and impact of violence affecting health service delivery, there is an overall lack of research that is of health-specific, publically accessible and comparable, as well as a lack of gender-disaggregated data and data on perpetrator motives."
• "Although violence directly affecting health service delivery in complex security environments has received a great deal of media attention, there is very little publically available research, particularly peer-reviewed, original research."
• "Key challenges in addressing violence affecting health service delivery in complex security environments include a lack of health-specific, accessible and comparable, gender-disaggregated data and sufficient data on perpetrator motives."

The authors cite instances of violence against healthcare providers and the environments in which these instances have occured. Anecdotal evidence along with research data on these issues are presented to support the authors' case.