Nearly half of cardiologists have experienced discrimination and harassment in the workplace, according to a new survey published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. What can be done to reverse this troubling trend and make the hostile work environment (HWE) a thing of the past?
The American College of Cardiology surveyed more than 5,900 cardiologists from all over the world, gathering responses from Sept. 13 to Oct. 22, 2019. The anonymous survey included 50 questions, asking each participant for key demographic information and if they had ever experienced discrimination, emotional harassment or sexual harassment while on the job. While 54% of participants were white, 17% were Asian, 17% were Hispanic and 3% were Black. A majority of participants—73%-—were age 54 or older.
Overall, 44% of participants had experienced emotional harassment, discrimination or sexual harassment in the workplace. Diving deeper into the data shows just how much more common these issues are for women than men. Discrimination was reported by 30% of participants, for example, including 56% of women and 22% of men. Emotional harassment was reported by 29% of participants, including 43% of women and 26% of men. Sexual harassment, meanwhile, was reported by 4% of participants, including 12% of women and 1% of men.
Also, the authors found, the most common causes of determination were gender (44%), age (37%), race (24%), religion (15%) and sexual orientation (5%).
Another key finding from the survey was that 64% of participants who have experienced a HWE said it has affected the way they do their job on a regular basis. Forty-six percent of participants, meanwhile, said the HWE had a direct effect on patient care.
“HWE has a pronounced and pervasive adverse effect on professional satisfaction and professional activities, a finding suggesting that HWE is both a professional issue and a patient care issue,” wrote first author Garima Sharma, MD, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues. “Our findings have important implications for organizations and individuals seeking to optimize clinical well-being.”
The authors also called for change within "the culture of medicine," noting that combating these problems can help cardiologists do the job they love to do and lead to improvements in patient care.
Click here to read the full study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.