Bullying happens in many different places such as work and school However, bullying also happens in hospitals, a place where people go to heal. Hospitals are a source of life, a place where babies enter the new world, where miracles occur, where lives are changed, and a place filled with both joy and sorrow. However, underneath all that, is hospital bullying. Lateral violence, verbal abuse, and physical and psychological bullying among peers, can be an issue in the healthcare industry.
The frustration, pain, sorrow and grief can be one of the reasons why patients bully their doctors and nurses, the people who take care of them when they are at their most vulnerable.
Here are some hospitals that have experienced bullying (found from sources)
“The Australasian College for Emergency Medicine surveyed its members in 2017 and found 34% had experienced bullying, 16.1% had experienced harassment and just over six percent had been victims of sexual harassment.” “A landmark 2015 report also confirmed that Royal Australian College of Surgeons showed that almost 50% of the surgeons went through bullying, discriminations
and sexual harassment.” Now let's talk about the consequences :
Presenteeism is when staff turn up for work, but are unhappy or stressed and perform inadequately, which is particularly dangerous in a hospital environment.
Increased absenteeism
A poor working environment
Dissatisfied healthcare providers
High risk for patients
“One hospital, two emotions , a newborn, a new gone.”
Bullying is a targeted and destructive behavior that must be called what it is in order to address and eliminate in one of the most important health care professions.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hello! I'm Aditi Kulkarni, writer and editor of Let's Defeat Bullying. I'm 15 years old and an aspiring doctor and a novelist.