As part of the discussion around International Women’s Day, celebrated on 8 March, Kate Woodhead RGN DMS examines the culture in operating theatres and the uncomfortable truth that women in surgery continue to be subject to sexual misconduct.
Women in surgery, whether in training or substantive posts, are being harassed, subject to sexual misconduct of varying degrees and even rape — all of which is completely unacceptable. In 2015, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons raised awareness globally by conducting a national survey1 with shocking results, which began a tsunami of other research from surgical communities around the world. Without exception, the results have been appalling and a situation which cannot continue in surgery.
In the UK, a forum of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, Women in Surgery, has for a long time been focused on eradicating the culture of sexual harassment in surgery. That is not to say that men are not also subject to harassment and assault, but the majority of the victims are female. When more women are entering the medical profession, it is essential that this culture is radically changed to make it a safer and more comfortable environment for women to work. We all have the right to work in a place where we can focus on the work in hand and not be distressed by the behaviour of colleagues.
The report from the Working Party on Sexual Misconduct in Surgery (WPSMS), titled Breaking the Silence: Addressing Sexual Misconduct in Healthcare,2 shocked the profession and healthcare, as well as patients and the general public. The scale of the data collected from the research, which went to male and female surgeons who responded anonymously, reported that:
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