Sexual Harassment in Surgery-Is Operating Room Culture the Culprit?

Background: Sexual harassment is a known problem in surgical training and a focus of growing attention in recent years. However, the environments where sexual harassment in surgical training most commonly takes place are not yet described.

Methods: An anonymous, voluntary, electronic survey was distributed to surgical trainees, and all programs nationally were invited to participate.

Results: Sixteen general surgery training programs elected to participate, and the survey achieved a response rate of 30%. 48.9% of respondents reported experiencing sexual harassment. The most common location for harassment was in the operating room (OR) (74% of harassed respondents). The second most common location for harassment was the wards (67.4% of harassed respondents). In the OR, attendings and nurses were the most common harassers. The most common harassment in the OR was being called a sexist slur or intimate nickname.

Discussion: Surgical trainees report that the OR was the most common location for trainee harassment. Given that harassment is most commonly perpetrated by both attendings and nurses, harassment in surgical training may not entirely be due to hierarchies but may also be attributed to a flawed and permissive OR culture. Surgical training programs should vigilantly eliminate the circumstances that permit sexual harassment in the OR.