More than 1 in 10 female physicians said they have experienced harassment in their workplace within the past three years, often at the hands of their colleagues, a recent Medscape report finds.
For the publication's annual "Sexual Harassment of Physicians Report 2018," Medscape surveyed 6,200 U.S. physicians and clinicians about specific harassing behavior they've experienced and witnessed within the past three years.
Here are five insights from the report:
1. Twelve percent of female physicians surveyed said they "personally experienced sexual abuse, harassment or misconduct," compared with 4 percent of male physicians.
2. Of those who identified as having experienced harassing behavior, 55 percent said it took the form of an individual deliberately infringing on body space or standing too close, followed by sexual comments or leering at body parts or anatomy (52 percent), unwanted groping, hugging, patting or other physical contact (46 percent) and being repeatedly asked for a date or continued unwanted romantic attention (26 percent).
3. Roughly one-third (32 percent) of respondents who reported harassment said they were victimized by one perpetrator. Almost half of respondents (47 percent) counted two or three perpetrators.
4. Of those who identified as having experienced harassment, nearly half (47 percent) said a physician at their institution was the perpetrator, compared with 16 percent who identified a nurse as the perpetrator.
5. Twenty-one percent of physicians who said they experienced harassment identified as being between the ages of 35 and 39, followed by those aged 40 to 44 (17 percent), those aged 28 to 34 (12 percent) and those aged 50 to 54 (12 percent.)
To access the full report, click here.