Oh behave! What bad behaviours do docs exhibit in the workplace?

A surgeon who attended virtual traffic court while performing an operation? What about that doctor who kept fondling a nurse’s breast with his elbow, or the one who screamed and cursed at nurses and technicians—before he threw them out of the operating room? A 2022 Medscape survey of 1,500 American physicians found more instances of bad behaviour among doctors this year than had been reported last year. According to the latest poll, doctors reported an average of seven instances of bad physician behaviour over the last five years, compared to last year’s response of six instances on average. This year, more than 40% of doctors said they saw colleagues behave badly in the workplace, compared to just 35% last year. There was also an uptick in reported bad behaviour on social media, from 26% in 2021 to 30% this year. Just over a quarter of doctors also said they saw their colleagues acting inappropriately outside the workplace. Read: How healthcare leaders can foster psychologically safer workplaces Male doctors were the most common offenders, accounting for 77% of the bad behaviours reported. Just 23% of inappropriate behaviours were attributed to female doctors. Doctors between the ages of 40 and 49 carried out more than half of reported bad behaviours, followed by those in the 50-to-59 age group at 40%. “Physicians tell us they're seeing more frequent incidents of other doctors acting disrespectfully toward patients or coworkers, too casually about patient privacy, angrily or aggressively at work, and sometimes even criminally,” Medscape wrote in its report on the survey. “Such behavior is still relatively uncommon, and many respondents say they are proud of the high standards of attitudes and behavior shown by fellow physicians.” Some doctors, noted the report, feel the public holds them to an “overly high standard for behavior that has nothing to do with treating patients.” Read: Gender pay gap in Canadian medicine—yes, it’s real! Close to 90% of doctors said that in the last five years they’ve witnessed other doctors bully or harass other clinicians and staff, with 30% reporting they saw this behaviour recently. More than 80% said they’ve seen colleagues disparage or make fun of patients behind their back in the last five years, and 55% said they’ve heard fellow doctors use racist language. Close to 45% also said they’ve seen colleagues drunk at work or acting in a physically aggressive manner towards patients, clinicians or staff. Of the doctors who witnessed bad behaviour by other doctors, almost 40% said they spoke directly to the offender while about 30% said they reported the transgression to human resources or to a person in charge. Read: Doctors can use their platform to help nurses too, says Canada's top nurse Close to 30% said they didn’t do anything about it. While many doctors were proponents of some kind of disciplinary action—such as a verbal warning, disciplinary letter or suspension—against colleagues who misbehave, almost 70% said the bad behaviours they witnessed did not result in any disciplinary consequence. When asked to turn the lens to their own behaviour, most doctors—a whopping 85%—believed they had acted appropriately as a physician in the last year. Read: Work on top of work: 1 in 3 doctors have a second job, says surveys

Oh behave! What bad behaviours do docs exhibit in the workplace?

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