Verbal Aggressiveness Among Physicians and Trainees

Incivility in medical education: a scoping review

Incivility in the workplace, school and political system in the United States has permeated mass and social media in recent years and has also been recognized as a detrimental factor in medical education. In this scoping review, we use the term incivility to encompass a spectrum of behaviors that occur across the continuum of medical education, and which include verbal abuse including rude or dismissive conduct, sexual and racial harassment and discrimination, and sexual and physical assault. We identified research on incivility involving medical students, residents and fellows, and faculty in North America to describe multiple aspects of incivility in medical education settings published since 2000. Our results reinforce that incivility is likely under-reported across the continuum of medical education and also confirmed incidences of incivility involving nursing personnel and patients, not emphasized in previous reviews. The authors suggest a zero-tolerance national policy if this problem is to be resolved.

When Doctors Swear, Do Patients Care? Two Experiments Examining Physicians Cursing in the Presence of Patients

Swearing in everyday conversation has become more normalized in recent years; but less certain, however, is how accepting Americans are when a doctor swears in their presence. Two online experiments (Study 1: n = 497; Study 2: n = 1,224) were conducted with US participants to investigate the impact of a doctor swearing in the course of examining a patient's infected wound (i.e., "You've got a lot of nasty [shit/stuff] in there that we're going to want to flush out"), or swearing when dropping papers in a patient's presence while varying the intensity of a swear (i.e., "[Shit!/Damn!/Whoops!]"), with or without an apology (i.e., "I'm sorry"). Overall findings reveal a main effect for swearing, with a swearing doctor generally seen as less likable, and in Study 1, less trustworthy, approachable, and less of an expert. However, the majority of participants exposed to a swearing doctor still said they would visit that physician again. Open-ended responses from these participants revealed that they perceived a swearing doctor as more human. Results from Study 2 also found that if a doctor swore, the negative impact was lessened if the doctor apologized immediately after cursing. While results from these studies indicate it is wise for doctors to refrain from swearing, most participants were still willing to make a future appointment with a cursing doctor.

Bullying, Discrimination, Harassment, Sexual Harassment, and the Fear of Retaliation During Surgical Residency Training: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

The negative effects of bullying, discrimination, harassment, and sexual harassment (BDHS) on well-being and productivity of surgical residents in training have been well documented. Despite this, little has changed over the past decade and these behaviors continue. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of each abusive behavior experienced by residents, identify the perpetrators, and examine the reporting tendency.

METHODS

A systematic review of articles published between 2010 and 2020 in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases was performed following PRISMA guidelines. The following search terms were used: bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, abuse, residency, surgery, orthopedic surgery, general surgery, otolaryngology, obstetrics, gynecology, urology, plastic surgery, and training.

RESULTS

Twenty-five studies with 29,980 surgical residents were included. Sixty-three percent, 43, 29, and 27% of surgical residents experienced BDHS, respectively. Female residents reported experiencing all BDHS behaviors more often. Thirty-seven percent of resident respondents reported burnout, and 33% reported anxiety/depression. Attending surgeons, followed by senior co-residents, were the most common perpetrators. Seventy-one percent did not report the behavior to their institution. Fifty-one percent stated this was due to fear of retaliation. Of those who reported their experiences, 56% stated they had a negative experience reporting.

CONCLUSION

Our review demonstrates high prevalence rates of BDHS experienced by residents during surgical training, which have been associated with burnout, anxiety, and depression. The majority of residents did not report BDHS due to fear of retaliation. Residency programs need to devise methods to have a platform for residents to safely voice their complaints.

Bullying, harassment and sexual discrimination among ophthalmologists in Australia and New Zealand

BACKGROUND

Discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment (DBSH) impact the psychological well-being of doctors and contribute to poor health outcomes. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) commissioned independent surveys to evaluate DBSH among members/trainees.

METHODS

Anonymous online surveys by Best Practice Australia were undertaken in 2015 and 2018. Cross-sectional analysis was prevalence of perceived DBSH, rates of reporting, intervention and resolution undertaken. Response rate was 50% (658/1319) in 2015 and 40% (557/1401) in 2018. In both surveys, 29% were female. This is representative of the distribution of the RANZCO members.

RESULTS

In a 2015 survey, 37.6% of respondents experienced DBSH, with prevalence being the highest for females (62.3%; N = 104 cf males 27.7%; N = 167) and trainees (49.2%; N = 61). In 2018, 49.2% of respondents reported DBSH with rates low for all forms of DBSH (22%-29%). Sexual harassment was reported by 12% and the least discussed or reported. Respondents strategy for taking action included draw on personal support network (25-43%), official complaints to supervisors (16-22%), human resources (2%-10%) and RANZCO (0%-6%). Reasons for not taking action included fear of impact of future career options (54.1%-60.7%), fear of victimization (35.7%-50.4%) and afraid of not being believed (31.9%-52.4%). Satisfactory resolution rates were 6% to 25%. A majority of respondents (77%) were positive about RANZCO initiatives.

CONCLUSIONS

DBSH is commonly reported by RANZCO members with female ophthalmologists more than two times more likely to experience any one of the four behaviours, three times more likely to experience discrimination and six times for sexual harassment. Fear of compromising personal and career progression contribute to low levels of reporting.

Negative Behavior Among Healthcare Professionals: Integrative Review of Instruments

BACKGROUND

Behaviors that undermine a culture of safety pose a serious threat to the overall wellbeing of healthcare workers as well as to patient outcomes.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this integrative review is to compare reported psychometrics, feasibility, and identify commonalities among available instruments measuring negative behaviors among healthcare professionals.

METHODS

Whittemore and Knafl's integrative review methods were used to analyze pertinent instruments designed to measure negative behaviors among healthcare professionals. Multiple computerized databases including CINAHL, MEDLINE, and Scopus databases were searched in the fall of 2017 without date restrictions.

RESULTS

Violence, incivility, and bullying are the most frequently measured behaviors in healthcare workers, and a robust number of valid and reliable instruments are available.

CONCLUSIONS

To date a comprehensive review of psychometric properties and feasibility of administration is lacking. This review synthesizes the instruments measuring these behaviors, providing a resource for future research focused on mitigation and intervention strategies.

Non-technical attributes and surgical experience: A cross-sectional study comparing communication styles and attitudes in surgical staff, trainees and applicants

BACKGROUND

This monocentric study aimed to explore whether key non-technical attributes can be reliably measured in a mixed population of candidates applying for surgical training, surgical trainees and staff and to identify any differences between these groups.

MATERIALS & METHODS

Candidates applying for surgical training, surgical trainees and staff from four surgical specialties (general surgery, orthopedics, plastic surgery or urology) at a tertiary academic teaching hospital were all sent an online self-report questionnaire. The Communication Styles Inventory (CSI, 96 items) was used to assess a six-dimensional behavioral model of participant communication styles (expressiveness, preciseness, verbal aggressiveness, questioningness, emotionality and impression manipulativeness). Attitudes toward uncertainty and risks were assessed with the Physicians' Reaction toward Uncertainty (PRU, 15 items) and Physician Risk Attitudes (PRA, 6 items) scales respectively. Data was encoded and analyzed using parametric testing.

RESULTS

The questionnaire was completed by 177 participants (110 candidates; 42 trainees; 25 staff). All scales had very good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha >0.80). After controlling for gender-based differences, surgical candidates scored significantly higher on 'expressiveness' (P = 0.012) and were significantly less risk-averse (P = 0.006) than trainees and staff. Surgical trainees scored lowest on the CSI 'questioningness' subscale (P = 0.019) and had significantly more difficulties dealing with uncertainty, characterized by their highest scores on the 'concern about bad outcome' (P = 0.021) and reluctance to disclose uncertainty to patients' (P = 0.05) subscales. Multiple subscales revealed gender-based differences in candidate and trainee groups, which were not noted for surgical staff.

CONCLUSIONS

Meaningful differences in non-technical attributes of surgical staff, trainees and candidates have been identified, which may be explained by differences in clinical experience and learning and may suggest that these develop over time. Further research on assessment of non-technical attributes during surgical selections and the role of both technical and non-technical attributes in surgery at large is needed.

Medpoklicno nasilje v operativni dejavnosti

Uvod: V operativni dejavnosti heterogena skupina strokovnjakov z različnimi osebnostmi in vrednostnimi sistemi, značilnimi za vsako profesijo, deli odgovornost do enega pacienta, kar lahko sproži napetost v odnosih in se stopnjuje v nasilje. Namen raziskave je bil prikazati razširjenost tega fenomena ter opredeliti z njim povezane dejavnike in posledice.Metode: Izvedena je bila sistematična iskalna strategija v bazah podatkov CINAHL, Medline, Academic Search Elite, ProQuest in COBIB.SI z datumom objave od januarja 2008 do vključno decembra 2017. Uporabljeni so bili iskalni pojmi v angleščini aggressive behavior, disruptive behavior, operating room, perioperative, violence, verbal abuse, bullying, surgeon in v slovenščini zdravstvena nega, nasilje. Podanih je bilo 735 zadetkov, glede na naslov in izvleček smo za ustrezne določili 68 virov, po vsebinskem pregledu smo jih izločili še 47.Rezultati: Zaključki pregleda literature so temeljili na 22 referencah. Oblikovanih je bilo 6 kategorij: (1) povzročitelji in nivoji nasilja, (2) vrste (tipi) nasilja, (3) neposredni vzroki za pojav nasilja v operacijski dvorani, (4) dejavniki, povezani s pojavom in prepoznavnostjo nasilja, (5) posledice nasilja ter (6) individualni in sistemski organizacijski ukrepi za obvladovanje posledic nasilja.Diskusija in zaključek: Najpogostejši izvajalci nasilja v operativni dejavnosti so kirurgi in zaposleni v operacijski zdravstveni negi, najpogostejši vzroki pa hierarhija, nepredvidljive situacije, kadrovski in materialni deficit, medosebni odnosi, delovna obremenitev,  organizacijska kultura. Izkazuje se potreba po tovrstni reprezentativni raziskavi v Sloveniji.

Systematic review of the prevalence, impact and mitigating strategies for bullying, undermining behaviour and harassment in the surgical workplace

Background

Bullying, undermining behaviour and harassment (BUBH) have been reported in entertainment, politics and sport. Such behaviours may also be common in surgery, and are frequently associated with poor patient care and inferior outcomes. The aim was to define the prevalence and impact of this behaviour in the international surgical workplace, and to explore counterstrategies.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted by searching EMBASE, Medline, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in August 2017. Original research studies (Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine levels 1–4) investigating the prevalence and impact of BUBH in surgery, and/or counterstrategies, were eligible for inclusion. The review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines.

Results

Of 2692 papers, 32 were eligible for inclusion. Twenty-two reported the prevalence of BUBH in surgery, 11 studied the impact of this behaviour and six investigated counterstrategies. Prevalence data showed that BUBH are common in the surgical workplace. Their impact can be profound, compromising mental health, reducing job satisfaction, and inducing suicidal ideation. Formal reporting systems were perceived as ineffective and even potentially harmful to victims.

Conclusion

Bullying, undermining behaviour and harassment are highly prevalent within surgery, and extremely damaging to victims. There is little high-quality research into counterstrategies, although professionalism training using simulated scenarios may be useful.