‘Surgeons can behave very badly when nobody is watching’ – these are the words of Professor Carrie Newlands as she led a talk on sexual misconduct in surgical environments.
Professor Newlands, a consultant oral and maxillofacial surgeon, spoke at the University of Edinburgh, leading a lecture titled: ‘Sexual misconduct in surgery – breaking the silence.’
She detailed the sexual misconduct that has been reported in surgical settings across the UK, as well as the need to raise awareness and the changes in culture that must follow.
The talk followed a September report that showed one third of women in surgery have been sexually assaulted by a colleague.
Cultural change
The new research was led by a collaboration between the University of Exeter, the University of Surrey and the Working Party on Sexual Misconduct in Surgery.
Speaking at the time, Dr Newlands, the study’s senior author and a consultant in oral and maxillofacial surgeon (OMFS), said: ‘Cultural change in healthcare and particularly in surgery is long overdue.
‘It is vital that regulators, colleges, employers, and training authorities come together to take a zero-tolerance approach to sexual misconduct and create adequate mechanisms with consequences to deal with perpetrators.’
Statistics show that nearly a third of women (29.9%) had been sexually assaulted by a colleague, while the majority of participants (89.5% of women and 81% of men) say they have witnessed some form of sexual misconduct.
Power imbalance
During her lecture, Professor Newlands stressed that an understanding of sexual misconduct is not limited to surgical staff: ‘Sexual misconduct by colleagues is a problem for all of healthcare, including patients,’ she said. ‘It is a worldwide problem, especially where there is a power imbalance.’
However, she added that she believes the surgical environment and the people it attracts means it is likely to have especially high rates of sexual misconduct.
She said: ‘The personality traits of many surgeons and the power that comes with the role makes it more likely for them to get away with it.’
Psychological reasons
She also emphasised the importance of external and independent investigations into reports of sexual misconduct, calling them ‘key’ to culture change. She added that she also supports scrapping the current five-year limit on investigations.
When detailing the length of time it takes victims to speak up, she said: ‘It can take a long time for people to speak up.
‘There are many psychological reasons for this but it might also be that they want to wait until they have the security and safety of a consultant position.’
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