Harassment, Discrimination, and Bullying in Orthopaedics: A Work Environment and Culture Survey

The presence of discrimination, bullying, sexual harassment, and harassment (DBSH) in the healthcare workplace negatively affects the health and well-being of providers and is associated with poor mental health, low self-esteem, high levels of absenteeism, and low levels of productivity.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) developed and distributed a survey to a subset of AAOS members to assess the climate of workplace safety and overall workplace culture. Women and underrepresented minority (URM) AAOS members and an equal number of randomly selected non-URM men were invited to participate in the survey.

Nine hundred twenty-seven of 5,638 (16.4%) members responded to the survey. Sixty-six percent of respondents reported experiencing DBSH behavior with specific exposures to DBSH of 79%, 55%, 47%, and 40%, respectively. Women (81%) were more likely than men (35%) to have experienced these behaviors. Fifty-eight percent of respondents reported that their workplaces were equipped to deal effectively with DBSH behaviors.

DBSH behaviors occur in the orthopaedic workplace. More attention to these issues is necessary to ensure that all orthopaedic surgeons in training and in practice have a safe work environment that is inclusive, equitable, and health-promoting.

N/A.