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Discrimination and abuse experienced by general internists in Canada
D J Cook1, L E Griffith, M Cohen
1Department of Medicine, McMaster University Faculty of Health Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Journal of General Internal Medicine
|October 1, 1995
Summary
General internists frequently experience workplace abuse, including psychological abuse, physical assault, gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and homophobia from patients and colleagues. Addressing these issues requires a multidisciplinary approach.
Area of Science:
- Medical Professionalism
- Workplace Safety
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Workplace harassment and abuse pose significant risks to healthcare professionals' well-being and the quality of patient care.
- General internists, as frontline medical practitioners, are particularly vulnerable to various forms of mistreatment within their professional environment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of psychological and emotional abuse, gender discrimination, verbal and physical sexual harassment, physical assault, and homophobia experienced by general internists.
- To quantify the frequency of these adverse experiences in Canadian general internal medicine practices.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey was conducted among general internists in Canadian practices.
- A total of 501 general internists' responses were analyzed from an overall response rate of 70.6%.
Main Results:
- Three-fourths of internists reported psychological and emotional abuse by patients.
- Significant percentages of female internists experienced gender discrimination (67% by patients, 56% by peers) and sexual harassment (45% verbal, 22% physical by patients).
- Approximately 40% of general internists encountered homophobic remarks from healthcare team members and patients.
Conclusions:
- Abuse, discrimination, and homophobia are widespread issues within the internal medicine workplace.
- A proactive, multidisciplinary strategy is essential for identifying and resolving these prevalent problems.