Female surgeons in the United Kingdom have been sexually assaulted, and in some cases raped by colleagues, in the past five years, a new survey has revealed. The study, published in the British Journal of Surgery (BJS) and shared with the BBC, examined sexual conduct in the UK surgical workforce over the past five years. It found that almost one in three female surgeons working in the NHS (National Health Service) have been sexually assaulted by colleagues.
As per the survey, registered surgeons - men and women - were invited to take part completely anonymously and 1,434 responded. It found that 30% of female surgeons who responded said they had been sexually assaulted, 29% of women had experienced unwanted physical advances at work, over 40% had received uninvited comments about their body and 38% received sexual "banter" at work.
"90% of women, and 81% of men, had witnessed some form of sexual misconduct," the BBC reported citing the study.
The survey concluded that men and women surgeons are "living different realities". "Sexual misconduct occurs frequently and appears to go unchecked in the surgical environment owing to a combination of a deeply hierarchical structure and a gender and power imbalance. The result is an unsafe working environment and an unsafe space for patients," it added, as per The Guardian.
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The survey also found that there is a lack of faith in bodies such as NHS Trust, the General Medical Council and the Royal Colleges to tackle the problem. Only 15.1% of women regarded the GMC as adequate in their handling of sexual misconduct. Evaluations of National Health Service Trusts were comparatively low. Only 15.8% of women rated them as adequate and 44.9% of men.
"We need a major change in investigation processes so they become external and independent, and are trusted in order for healthcare to become a safer place to work," said Professor Carrie Newlands, consultant surgeon from the University of Surrey.
Further, the report said that for staff, workplace harassment could be detrimental to their physical and mental health, with cases even leading to self-harm and victims contemplating suicide. The researchers called for action to improve the culture in the surgical workforce and "create adequate mechanisms to deal with perpetrators".
