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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021
| Contributor Information
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
Reports of physicians misbehaving in their practice, in their personal life, or on social media seem more frequent lately. Some say physicians' job pressure, long hours, and payment frustrations spur the bad behavior. Others blame each physician's own personality and judgment. Most agree that the medical profession needs to police itself to prevent improper behavior. Medscape surveyed more than 2000 physicians to uncover the extent and nature of bad behavior among physicians within the past 5 years.
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
More than half (56%) of physicians say they have witnessed or experienced other physicians behaving inappropriately, more often in the workplace. We defined "inappropriate behavior" as being disrespectful to patients, medical professionals, or others; being visibly inebriated or scantily dressed; harassing others; using offensive sexual or racist language in front of others; making fun of patients or disregarding patient privacy on social media; or other clear examples of poor behavior choices. (Respondents could choose more than one answer.)
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
In the past 5 years, physicians personally witnessed and/or experienced a somewhat similar number of instances of inappropriate behavior both in and outside of the workplace.
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
Bullying other medical personnel and — sadly — making fun of patients unbeknownst to them were the most frequent infractions. (Physicians could choose all that applied.) "It's sad, but not surprising, to see these results, especially the bullying or disparaging behaviors toward patients," said Peter Yellowlees, MD, chief wellness officer at UC Davis Health. "The results show how most of us have interacted with some difficult and disruptive colleagues, as well as those who are burned out, who are more likely to behave inappropriately. We should not tolerate these behaviors, and the next question to ask ourselves is, 'Have I done anything to prevent this from happening again?'"
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
Being inebriated has been seen much more outside of the office (58%) than in the workplace (40%); conversely, and for obvious reasons, committing a crime has been seen more in the workplace (19%) than outside the workplace.
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
Other bad behavior: A physician continually joking to patients and staff about his own genital size; a drunk physician posting online that he wanted to have sex with two of his patients; a physician judging and making fun of a patient experiencing a health crisis; dirty hands and nails; payback for referrals; and partying with many people unmasked during the height of the pandemic.
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
The medical workplace — office or hospital — is the prime venue, but social media has come up strong as a site for infractions.
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
Social media seems to be a prime locale for bad behavior. Those who witnessed it saw an average of eight instances of poor behavior by physicians on social media.
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
Other poor behavior:
Posting photos of themselves at a party where they and everyone else were clearly on drugs
Posting photos of themselves making fun of an unconscious patient
Posting pictures of rashes in sexually explicit areas in women
Posting hateful, racist, anti-Semitic, or sexist remarks, or using foul language
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
Respondents most often find physicians behaving inappropriately on Facebook; in addition, survey respondents said that Facebook is the site they most often use regularly. Facebook has about 2.85 billion monthly active users; Instagram has about 1 billion monthly active users; and Twitter has about 199 million monetizable daily active users.
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
Surprisingly, about one third of physicians say that workplace misbehavior has decreased in recent years. Some attribute that to more installed surveillance cameras, more employees with smartphones who record and report bad behavior, more attention to the issue of harassment and bullying, more lawsuits around bad behavior, and less acceptance by professionals. Still, more than half of physicians feel that the amount of bad behavior has remained the same, both inside and outside of the workplace.
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
Most think that misbehaving physicians should be reported or warned, experience some type of negative consequence, or at least have their behavior come to the attention of those above them. Still, as one respondent said, "This behavior is not just from working physicians; it's also present among department heads, administration, hospital leaders, and others with positions of responsibility."
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
Respondents were more likely to speak directly to the physician in question, although a nearly equal number said they did not take any action. (Respondents could choose more than one answer.)
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
A larger percentage of misbehaving physicians — whether in the workplace, outside the workplace, or on social media — were in their 40s, although physicians in their 30s and 50s held their own with a fair share of infractions.
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
"We know that we have to change the culture of medicine and increase the number of women and physicians from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds," says Yellowlees. "Thankfully, this is happening and with our current awareness of the existence of these inappropriate behaviors — which used to be hidden or ignored — I hope we'll see less of all these behaviors in the future."
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
"There are expectations inherent in the value of the work we have chosen to do," says Carol Ann Bernstein, MD, a psychiatrist in New York and former president of the American Psychiatric Association. "Choosing to become a physician means we have a contract with society and patients. I think that when people take on the responsibility of doing this kind of work, you hope that they will have the highest standards possible."
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
Over half of respondents blame individual physicians' personal arrogance, but just as many feel that standards of behavior and interactions are far looser and more casual than in the past. Work attire is more casual; once-taboo language is now used on television; people broadcast personal problems on social media. Many feel that almost anything goes.
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
"I think society's standards for doctors in the workplace are about right," says Arthur L. Caplan, PhD, bioethicist at New York University Langone Medical Center. "Remember, people set expectations according to your role and are always looking for hypocrisy and always trying to take down people in authority. Any doctor who cares about their reputation should not be seen dancing around drunk."
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
One of the more notorious instances of this occurred in 2014, when comedian Joan Rivers' personal doctor was accused of snapping a selfie with Rivers under anesthesia in the operating room during a throat biopsy that ultimately led to her death.
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
A small percentage of respondents say that they have behaved inappropriately. One respondent suggests that many physicians misbehaving don't believe that they are doing so, because others around them are acting similarly or are posting similar items online.
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
Clearly, many physicians see nothing wrong with the behaviors noted. One respondent said he saw one doctor regularly posting sexually suggestive shirtless pictures while wearing a stethoscope and scrub hat, and having patients follow his Instagram account.
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
"I understand that many doctors think, In my own home on my own time, I shouldn't be regulated," said Arthur L. Caplan, PhD. "I don't agree, for two reasons: Some behaviors are just wrong, wherever they occur — such as racial slurs or bullying — and you can be held accountable. And you have to think about your professional image. If patients see you engaging in dubious behavior, they're going to think less of you, and that can damage the trust in a physician-patient relationship."
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
"Whenever anyone is part of a group, when someone behaves poorly in that group, it reflects badly on the members of that group, whether it's the medical profession or any other profession or social group," said Bernstein.
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
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Physicians Behaving Badly: Has It Gotten Worse?
Leslie Kane, MA | July 30, 2021 | Contributor Information
More than 12,000 physicians in various specialties told Medscape about their lives before and during the global pandemic.Medscape Features Slideshow, Jan 2021
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Leslie Kane, MA
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