Sexual harassment: perspectives from the past, present practice, policy, and prevention

During the times of Florence Nightingale, elements of sexual harassment were evident and were addressed in her writings. The more recent Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas judicial hearings brought more attention to the issue. It is imperative that hospitals and their staff development departments have a clear understanding of what constitutes sexual harassment so that effective policies can be implemented. Preventive training can be implemented to avoid absenteeism, staff turnover, lost productivity, decreased quality of patient care, and exorbitant legal costs.