O-174 - BULLYING, UNDERMINING BEHAVIOUR AND HARASSMENT IN THE VASCULAR WORKPLACE: AN INTERNATIONAL SURVEY

TOPIC:
Other
AUTHORS:
Forsythe R. (Edinburgh Vascular Unit / University of Edinburgh ~ Edinburgh ~ United Kingdom) , Van Herzeele I. (Department of Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Ghent University Hospital ~ Ghent ~ Belgium) , Zayed H. (Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust ~ London ~ United Kingdom) , Stavroulakis K. (Department of Vascular Surgery, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich ~ Munich ~ Germany) , Argyriou A. (Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, RUB University of Bochum ~ Herne ~ Germany) , Saratzis A. (NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre ~ Leicester ~ United Kingdom) , Rcpad O.B.O. (Research Collaboration in Peripheral Arterial Disease ~ London ~ United Kingdom)
Introduction:
There is increasing acknowledgement that bullying, undermining behaviour and harassment (BUBH) exist in healthcare settings and specifically within the surgical workplace. These behaviours may lead to poor morale amongst clinicians and potential harm to patients. The aim of this international study was to evaluate the prevalence of BUBH experienced by healthcare professionals treating patients with vascular disease at various stages of their career.
Methods:
This was an anonymous international survey distributed via professional societies associated with vascular surgery, interventional radiology and angiology. The survey was disseminated through societies' newsletters, by targeted emails and using social media accounts. Data were collected through Google Forms and analysed in SPSS. Demographic data were summarised and Pearson's chi square test of proportion used to evaluate reported BUBH amongst different demographic groups.
Results:
Of 587 medical professionals who completed the survey, 85.5% were working in vascular surgery, mostly at a university or academic hospital (56.0%) or teaching hospital (18.1%). Participants were based in the United Kingdom (17.4%), France (12.8%), Germany (7.5%), the United States of America (3.6%) or other European countries. At the time of completing the survey, 81.1% of respondents were aged between 31 and 60 years, mostly working as consultants (57.2%) or residents (22.8%). Respondents were predominantly white (83.0%), the majority identified as male (62.9%), heterosexual (94.0%) and did not consider themselves to have a disability (96.1%). Within the last 12 months, 253 (43.1%) of all respondents reported personally experiencing BUBH, with a greater proportion of females than males reporting this (52.9% vs 37.7%; p=0.02) and a greater proportion of residents (56.7%) than consultants (37.8%) and fellows (38.5%) reporting such behaviour. As a consultant, similar proportions of males and females reported experiencing BUBH (54.5% vs 44.8%, p=0.79), however at all other stages of their career, females were more likely than males to experience BUBH. Sexual orientation did not appear to be associated with personal experience of BUBH within the last 12 months (p=0.086), nor as a consultant (p=0.061), however those identifying as heterosexual were less likely to report BUBH as a medical student or intern than those identifying as any other sexual orientation. Ethnicity was associated with experiencing BUBH, with white participants less likely to experience BUBH than all other ethnicities within the last 12 months (p=0.008), as a resident or fellow (p=0.001) or as a consultant (p=0.002). There did not appear to be an association between speciality and personal experience of BUBH. Overall, 442 respondents (75.3%) had ever witnessed a colleague experience BUBH, with 300 respondents (51.5%) reporting this within the past 12 months. When describing the frequency of either witnessing or experiencing BUBH, 130 respondents (22.1%) reported this to be on a weekly basis.
Conclusion:
BUBH is a problem in the vascular workplace. Demographic features that appear to be associated with experiencing BUBH at various career stages include: identifying as female, non-heterosexual and non-white ethnicity.