Physicians are not exempt from sexual harassment.
A recent on-line survey conducted by Medscape of 4151 practicing
physicians and residents in the United States asked respondents about specific
harassing behavior they have experienced, witnessed, or been accused of within
the past 3 years. Since definitions and
perceptions about sexual harassment or abuse can differ among individuals,
specific behaviors were delineated.
The results from Medscape's Sexual Harassment of Physicians
Report 2018 show that 7% of physicians said they experienced some form of
sexual harassment within the 3 year timeframe with ~ 40% occurring in 35-44
year olds. The majority of victims (55%)
did not say anything or confront the perpetrator, and only 40% reported the
behavior to a colleague, supervisor, department head, HR, security or police
for fear of being accused of over-reacting, inaction or retaliation.
Considering
the outcomes of reporting, it’s no wonder that sexual harassment is under-reported. Less than 25% of incidents reported resulted
in an investigation, and more than 50% of respondents stated that the incident
was trivialized or resulted in some form of perceived retaliation.
Most investigations led to exoneration of the accused perpetrator; intentions were 'misunderstood' in 40% of cases. No action was taken in 37% of cases.
Sexual harassment led ~22% of respondents to consider
quitting their job and 14% actually did quit.
Although effective training can reduce workplace harassment,
much of it has been focused on avoiding legal liability – not changing the
culture and preventing or stopping harassment.
In order to be effective, change
must start at the top, and training must be tailored to the specific work
environment and employees. It’s time to
act. No, it’s over due.
Judith Wolf, MD
Source: Leslie Kane. Sexual Harassment of Physicians: Report 2018. Medscape June 13, 2018
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