Between 1985-1987, I worked as a wardsman at Campbelltown hospital/nightshift. When intoxicated people used to come in, using all the profanity under the sun and wanting to get physically violent towards both nurses and doctors, a policy of...calm down / behave and I'll attend to you, otherwise you're on your own Jack was put into place. I think it beats getting a nurse or a doctor involved, and hence did calm the patient right down. You can't stitch someone's head if they are swinging at you!
Furthermore, (and as I quickly learnt back then), that every case presented to hospital had to be prioritised based on its threat to the patient's health. I remember a young male coming in with his tongue hanging by a thread due to getting into some nightclub fighting, only to be made to sit and watch TV for hours. I later learned (like I said), that it's all about priorities. A heart attack, a stroke, a convulsion, etc. is where some priorities lie.