The American Society of Anesthesiologists has provided new recommendations to eradicate harassment, incivility and disrespect toward healthcare professionals in the workplace.
Data shows that harassment rates in anesthesiology are equal to, if not higher than, other physician specialties, according to a Nov. 13 press release.
There is a persistent presence of gender harassment across all medical specialties in academic medicine, with approximately 1 in 3 of all female faculty and 1 in 10 of all male faculty having reported sexual harassment. Within anesthesiology specifically, 1 in 2 women and 1 in 4 men reported experiencing a form of sexual harassment in the past 12 months.
Harassment, whether from patients or healthcare professionals, can lead to a decline in anesthesia care team performance, adverse safety consequences including poor information sharing, compromised decision-making, diagnostic error and burnout.
The ASA listed a number of recommendations for organizations to follow to combat workplace harassment. Among them are the following:
1. Create a strategic plan to eliminate HID, which includes a statement of commitment, clear and consistent standards of behavior, and policies such as supporting those harmed and preventing weaponization and retaliation.
2. Implement an expeditious and timely confidential reporting system.
3. Hire individuals with relevant expertise to manage the comprehensive strategic plan.
4. Enforce organizational accountability to address HID including, but not limited to, investigation, due process, remediation, counseling, and escalation of consequences in proportion to context and patterns of behavior.
5. Prioritize professionalism among individuals by practicing healthy workplace etiquette, which includes being respectful of those around them, being self-aware of habits and biases, proactively mitigating harmful biases, and being attentive and responsive to organizational harassment policies.