Harassment In Medicine Research Articles

Māori Medical Student and Physician Exposure to Racism, Discrimination, Harassment, and Bullying

Discrimination, bullying, and harassment in medicine have been reported internationally, but exposures for Indigenous medical students and physicians, and for racism specifically, remain less examined. To examine the prevalence of racism, discrimination, bullying, and harassment for Māori medical students and physicians in New Zealand and associations with demographic and clinical characteristics. This cross-sectional study used data from an anonymous national survey of Māori medical students and physicians in New Zealand in late 2021 and early 2022. Data were analyzed from March 2022 to April 2024. Age, gender, marginalized status (ie, in addition to being Māori, belonging to other groups traditionally marginalized or underrepresented in medicine), year of medical school, year of graduation, and main work role. Direct and witnessed racism, discrimination, bullying, and harassment were measured as any experience in the last year and ever. Any exposure to negative comments about social groups and witnessing discriminatory treatment toward Māori patients or whānau (extended family). Considering leaving medicine, including because of mistreatment, was measured. Overall, 205 Māori medical students (median [IQR] age, 23.1 [21.6-24.3] years; 137 [67.2%] women) and 200 physicians (median [IQR] age, 36.6 [30.1-45.3] years; 123 [62.8%] women) responded. Direct and witnessed exposure to racism (184 students [91.5%]; 176 physicians [90.7%]) and discrimination (176 students [85.9%]; 179 physicians [89.5%]) ever in medical education, training, or work environments was common. Ever exposure to witnessed and direct bullying (123 students [66.5%]; 150 physicians [89.3%]) and harassment (73 students [39.5%]; 112 physicians [66.7%]) was also common. Most respondents reported witnessing Māori patients or their whānau being treated badly in clinical settings, in direct interactions (67 students [57.8%]; 112 physicians [58.9%]) or behind their backs (87 students [75.0%]; 138 physicians [72.6%]). One-quarter of Māori medical students (45 students), and 37.0% of physicians (61 physicians) had considered leaving or taken a break from medicine because of these experiences. Additional marginalized statuses were significantly associated with any direct experience of mistreatment in the last year for students and physicians. Exposure to some forms of mistreatment were also significantly associated with higher likelihood of thinking about leaving or taking a break from medicine for physicians. In this study, Māori medical students and physicians reported high exposure to multiple forms of racism, discrimination, bullying, and harassment in medical education, training, and work environments, requiring an urgent response from medical institutions.

The impact of gendered experiences on the career choice of swiss medical students: A qualitative study protocol.

The problem of gender discrimination and sexual harassment in medicine is long-standing and widespread. This project aims to document and understand how gendered experiences encountered by final-year medical students in Switzerland are experienced by these individuals and how they influence their career choice. It also aims to identify representations and stereotypes linked to the different specialties. The project will take place at all Swiss universities offering a master's degree in human medicine, for a total of 9 programs. Around 36 participants will be recruited. Semi-structured qualitative individual interviews will be conducted. Analysis will be based on Grounded Theory principles.

Radiology, Sexual Harassment, and the #MeToo Movement

The rise of the #MeToo movement has sparked renewed conversations about sexual harassment in the workplace. All medical fields, including radiology, can benefit from reflecting on workplace culture, reviewing policies, and committing to change. This review provides an overview of the #MeToo movement, describes the prevalence of sexual harassment in medicine and radiology, summarizes barriers to reporting incidents of sexual harassment, evaluates the backlash to the #MeToo movement, and discusses policies and procedures to aid in preventing sexual harassment in the #MeToo era.

The Experience of Male Physicians with Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment: a Qualitative Study.

Sexual harassment and gender-based harassment are common in medicine; however, there is little in the literature regarding men's experience with gender-based and sexual harassment. The objective of this study was to better understand the experience men have with sexual and gender-based harassment in medicine. We developed and piloted an interview guide based on a review of the literature and conducted semi-structured interviews of male physicians, from trainees to attendings, at a tertiary care facility. Participants were recruited via email between April and August of 2019. These interviews were transcribed verbatim and, using an iterative coding approach based in grounded theory, were coded and analyzed for themes. We conducted a total of 16 interviews. Five major themes were identified: (1) personal experiences of harassment, (2) witnessed harassment, (3) characterization of harassment, (4) impact of harassment, and (5) strategies for responding to harassment. The men reported experiences with sexual and gender-based harassment but were hesitant to define these encounters as such. They had minimal emotional distress from these encounters but worried about their professional reputation and lacked training for how to respond to these encounters. Many had also witnessed their female colleagues being harassed by both male patients and colleagues but did not respond to or stop the harassment when it originated from a colleague. We found that men experience sexual harassment differently from women. Most notably, men report less emotional distress from these encounters and often do not define these events as harassment. However, similar to women, men feel unprepared to respond to episodes of harassment against themselves or others. Whether to deter sexual harassment against themselves, or, more commonly, against a female colleague, men can gain the tools to speak up and be part of the solution to sexual harassment in medicine.

Sexual Harassment in Radiology: Prevalence and Opportunities for Improvement.

Radiologists have a key role in the delivery of modern medicine and interface with almost every medical subspecialty within health care systems. Radiology requires collaborative team science and continued communication across providers. Essential to these ends is an inclusive and respectful environment. Therefore, sexual harassment cannot be tolerated. This perspective provides an overview of the existing literature on sexual harassment in medicine and sexual harassment in radiology and suggestions for creating change within the field of radiology to address sexual harassment. This article also discusses specific ways that radiologists can be engaged as bystanders who intervene effectively to stop or mitigate problematic situations as they occur. Although individual changes in behavior can be impactful, ultimately, wholesale cultural transformation is key to preventing sexual harassment. Leaders in radiology, like leaders everywhere, must make clear that harassing behaviors will not be tolerated and that those who have committed harassment will be held accountable.

Survey of US gynecologic oncologists finds that approximately 64% have experienced sexual harassment.

A survey conducted among the physician members of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology found that approximately 64% of respondents experienced some form of sexual harassment during training or practice. The numbers were higher among women (71%) compared with men (51%). The abstract, presented at the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, held May 31 to June 4, 2019, in Chicago, also found that only 17% of women and 10% of men reported the incidents to officials and that female practitioners were more likely than their male counterparts to say that gender affected their career advancement (34% vs 10%) and salary prospects (42% vs 6%). According to lead author Marina Stasenko, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, the research is aimed at increasing awareness of sexual harassment and gender inequalities among female physicians, whose numbers are increasing in medicine. The anonymous survey, which was conducted in 2018, was modeled in part on a similar survey that the Association of American Medical Colleges has conducted since 2012. It was sent to all 1566 US-based physician members of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology. In total, there were 402 respondents, including 255 women and 147 men. The survey measured a range of types of sexual harassment, such as being subjected to sexist remarks (58% of women in training and 51% of women in practice said they had experienced this compared with 28% of men in training and 24% of men in practice), being denied opportunities for training (26% of women in training and 33% of women in practice reported this vs 17% of men in training and 19% of men in practice), unwanted sexual advances (30% of women in training and 23% of women in practice and 27% of men in training and 28% of men in practice experienced this), and being asked to exchange sexual favors for academic positions (4% of women and 2% of men in both training and practice reported this). Some respondents also said they had received lower evaluations or academic positions as a result of harassment (31% in women and 14% in men). Among the reasons participants gave for not reporting the incidents were believing they were not important enough (40%), assuming that nothing would be done about it (37%), or being afraid of retaliation (34%). Dr. Stasenko said she hopes the survey will lead to more discussions regarding sexual harassment in medicine, as well as interventions to improve the situation.

#MedToo: A Large-Scale Examination of the Incidence and Impact of Sexual Harassment of Physicians and Other Faculty at an Academic Medical Center.

Background: A landmark National Academies report highlighted the need for rigorous evaluation of sexual harassment in medicine. We examined the prevalence and impact of sexual harassment using the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire, the standard for measurement of sexual harassment, but which has not been previously applied within academic medicine. Materials and Methods: A 20-minute online survey was administered to all faculty who had been working at University of Michigan Medical School for at least 1 year (n = 2723). We assessed sexual harassment within the past year from insiders (i.e., from staff, students, and faculty) and from patients and patients' families. We also evaluated mental health, job satisfaction, sense of safety at work, and turnover intentions. Results: In the final sample (n = 705; which included 25.9% of the originally targeted population), most respondents, 82.5% of women and 65.1% of men, reported at least one incident of sexual harassment from insiders in the past year; 64.4% of women and 44.1% of men reported harassment from patients and patients' families. The most frequently experienced dimension of sexual harassment for women and men was sexist gender harassment. Increased experiences of harassment were independently associated with lower mental health, job satisfaction, and sense of safety at work, as well as increased turnover intentions, with no significant interactions by gender. Conclusions: Sexual harassment against medical faculty is alarmingly common at an institution that is not expected to be atypical. Interventions must address sexual harassment, which affects mental health and career outcomes of male and female physicians.

The perils of intersectionality: racial and sexual harassment in medicine.

The perils of intersectionality: racial and sexual harassment in medicine.

From #MeToo to #TimesUp in health care: can a culture of accountability end inequity and harassment?

From #MeToo to #TimesUp in health care: can a culture of accountability end inequity and harassment?

Sexual Harassment in Medicine: Toward Legal Clarity and Institutional Accountability

Sexual Harassment in Medicine: Toward Legal Clarity and Institutional Accountability

'These Things Sometimes Happen': Speaking Up About Harassment.

A resident physician explores the pressing issue of harassment in medicine, which can come from the patients providers serve.

Bullying and sexual harassment of junior doctors in New South Wales, Australia: rate and reporting outcomes.

Objective The aim of this study was to describe rates of exposure to bullying and sexual harassment in junior doctors in first- or second-year prevocational medical training (PGY1 or PGY2 respectively) positions in New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), and to explore the types of actions taken in response. Methods A cross-sectional survey of junior doctors in PGY1 or PGY2 positions was undertaken in 2015 and 2016 (n=374 and 440 respectively). Thematic analysis was undertaken on free-text responses to describe the reporting process and outcomes in more depth. Results The estimated response rate was 17-20%. Results from both surveys followed almost identical trends. Most respondents in 2015 and 2016 reported being bullied (n=203 (54.3%) and 253 (57.5%) respectively), 16-19% reported sexual harassment (n=58 and 82 respectively) and 29% of females reported sexual harassment. Qualitative analysis elucidated reasons for not taking action in response to bullying and harassment, including workplace normalisation of these behaviours, fear of reprisal and lack of knowledge or confidence in the reporting process. For respondents who did take action, most reported ineffective or personally harmful outcomes when reporting to senior colleagues, including being dismissed or blamed, and an intention not to trust the process in the future. Conclusions The findings suggest that interventions targeted at the level of junior doctors to improve the culture of bullying and harassment in medicine are unlikely to be helpful. Different approaches that address the problem in a more systemic way are needed, as is further research about the effectiveness of such interventions. What is known about the topic? Bullying and sexual harassment are common workplace experiences in the medical profession. What does this paper add? Over half the junior doctors in the present study experienced bullying and nearly one-fifth experienced sexual harassment. Junior doctors are reluctant to speak out, not only for fear of reprisal, but also because they do not believe it is worth doing so. What are the implications for practitioners? The data confirm a systemic problem of bullying in NSW. Primarily focusing on interventions with junior doctors (e.g. resilience training) is unlikely to solve the problem. Different and multipronged approaches (e.g. raising awareness in senior colleagues and training bystanders to intervene) should be tried and studied.

Bullying and harassment of trainees: an unspoken emergency?

Bullying and harassment of trainees: an unspoken emergency?

Sexual equality, discrimination and harassment in medicine: it's time to act.

Sexual equality, discrimination and harassment in medicine: it's time to act.

Walking Out on the Boys

Acknowledgment or discussion of gender harassment in medicine has historically been a taboo subject within most academic communities. These are issues that are uncomfortable to talk about and have the power to immediately polarize groups of highly intelligent people into opposite camps. As a consequence of Francis Conley's brave memoir, Walking Out on the Boys, gender harassment is no longer a topic that can be ignored by the medical community.