Over half of physicians (51 percent) who reported being sexually harassed by patients at work often internalize the incident, letting it affect their work going forward, according to a Dec. 29 Medscape survey of more than 3,000 practicing physicians.
Over a quarter of physicians (26 percent) experience difficulty concentrating at work after harassment. Twenty-three percent feel less engaged with their patients, while 11 percent have thought about quitting.
About 5 percent feel less engaged with their colleagues, while 4 percent are late or absent from work following the incident.
Four percent avoided working with specific colleagues, while 2 percent quit and 1 percent missed meetings, patient appointments and experienced increased work errors and mistakes.