Keywords:
Management, Professional issues, Experimental, Audit and standards, Health policy and practice, Safety, Outcomes, Education and training, Workforce
Authors:
M. R. F. Jaring, P. McCoubrie; Bristol/UK
DOI:
10.26044/ecr2019/C-3219
Aims and objectives
Bullying,
harassment and undermining are serious issues in all specialties,
and at all levels.
This impacts on patient safety,
career development and finances.
A survey of junior doctors found 8% of trainees reported being bullied,
and 14% had witnessed it happening to others,
but only 1% had ever reported it.
Undermined trainees had satisfaction scores 15% below their peers [1].
Elsewhere,
34% of gynaecologists said they had been bullied and 73% of surgeons witnessed undermining [2,
3].
The estimated annual cost of bullying to the UK economy is £13.75 billion.
The Department of Health estimates the cost just to the NHS is £325 million,
with increased sickness,
time off-work,
and decreased productivity [2,
5]. Enquiries at some hospitals found systemic bullying across the board and subsequent adverse impacts on patient care [6].
Our aim was to discover current levels of bullying and undermining in a sample of UK consultant radiologists,
and to investigate whether any groups were more likely to perpetrate or be victims of bullying.
Bullying |
Behaviour causing persistent humiliation,
ridicule or criticism [7] |
Harassment |
Unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic [4] |
Undermining |
Subverting,
weakening or wearing away confidence [1] |