Workplace Bullying and Harassment among Health Care Professionals

Abstract

Aim: To determine prevalence of workplace bullying and its effects on doctors at LUMHS Jamshoro. Study design: Cross sectional survey. Place and duration of study: Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences Jamshoro from 1stJanuary 2021 to 31stMarch. Methodology:Seventy five postgraduate residents, house officers and medical officers were selected randomly, all were interviewed by questionnaire. Questions were asked regarding any incident of bullying, aggression, violence, and harassment during hospital duty hours. Which behavior they faced and what was the reason of that behavior; asked from participants. The data was entered and analyzed using the SPSS 22. Results: Seventy four (98.66%) were females and 1(1.33%) was male with mean age of 27.3±4.7 years. 51 [68%] have been subjected to being bullied. Main source of harassing was by administration in 12%, faculty in 34.66%, senior colleagues in 42.66% colleagues 16%, paramedics15%, and patient’s attendants in 13%. Effects noticed on personality/ behavior were sadness in 41.33%, aggression 32%, confrontation change in sleep 12%, health complaints in headache/ palpitations 34.66%, loss of interest in activities 41.33%, poor performance at work 18.66%, lack of confidence 46.66%, fear to go to work place 20% and avoiding bullier in 29.33%. Conclusion: Prevalence of bullying was 68% among health care professionals interviewed in this study. Violence towards medical caretakers is expanding day by day.Serving in safe and healthy surroundings is the basic right of every health care worker to take healthy decisions to give quality patient care. Keywords: Bullying, harassment, Violence, Doctors, Heath care worker