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US Pediatricians' Reports of Feeling Unsafe at Work: Experiences With Harassment and Attacks

Sarah M Marsicek1, Elizabeth A Gottschlich2, Mary Pat Frintner2

  • 1University of Florida (SM Marsicek), Gainesville, Fla.

Academic Pediatrics
|October 31, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Pediatricians face harassment due to misinformation, impacting their sense of safety at work. Addressing these attacks is crucial for well-being and a secure practice environment.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Practice
  • Public Health
  • Workplace Safety

Background:

  • Misinformation increasingly leads to harassment and attacks against healthcare professionals.
  • Pediatricians advocating for child health may be targets of such attacks.
  • Understanding the prevalence and impact of these experiences is vital.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine pediatrician experiences with harassment and attacks linked to misinformation.
  • To assess the association between these negative experiences and feelings of workplace unsafety.
  • To compare characteristics of pediatricians who feel unsafe.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of national weighted survey data from 1666 pediatricians (66% participation rate).
  • Inquiry into personal and colleague experiences with four types of harassment/attacks in the prior 12 months.
  • Multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with feeling unsafe at work.

Main Results:

  • 30% of pediatricians reported personal harassment/attacks; 49.7% reported colleague/staff experienced them.
  • 10.7% of pediatricians reported feeling unsafe at work.
  • Feeling unsafe was significantly associated with practice setting (emergency vs. outpatient), location (urban vs. suburban), and experiencing/witnessing harassment.

Conclusions:

  • Pediatricians are vulnerable to harassment and attacks fueled by misinformation.
  • These negative experiences correlate with increased feelings of workplace unsafety.
  • Developing strategies to mitigate harassment is essential to ensure pediatrician safety and well-being.
Abstract

Keywords:
harassmentpediatriciansworkplace violence

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