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Copyright (c) 2025 Fahad Bakheet Aljohani, Nashme Eid Alrashidi, MOHAMMED FEHAID ALHARBI, YASIR ABDULAAH HAMAD ALABBAD, Fawaz Saad Tubruk Alazmi, Raed Magbpl Salem Alazmi, Tamim Abed B Aloufi, Maryam Obaidullah Almutairi, AWAD AYIDH AWAD ALRASHIDI, Mohammed Muqbil Bakheet Aljohani, Abdullah Musaad Owaid Alrashdi, MONA SALEEM SHARID ALRASHIDI, Mona Zaid Samran Alsahli, Abdulkarim marzooq awad Alhejaili
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Sexual Harassment Prevention Training as a Core Component of Health Security Systems
Corresponding Author(s) : Fahad Bakheet Aljohani
Saudi Journal of Medicine and Public Health, Vol. 2 No. 2 (2025)
Abstract
الخلفية: لا يزال التحرش الجنسي في مجال الرعاية الصحية مشكلة متفشية على الرغم من وجود سياسات رسمية. فهو يضر برفاهية العاملين، ونزاهة المؤسسات، وسلامة المرضى.
الهدف: تستكشف هذه الدراسة التحرش الجنسي باعتباره تحديًا نظاميًا في الرعاية الصحية، وتأثيره على الأمن الصحي، واستراتيجيات الوقاية منه.
الأساليب: أُجريت مراجعة شاملة للأطر القانونية والثقافة التنظيمية والأدلة التجريبية. وشمل التحليل بيانات الانتشار، ومعوقات الإبلاغ، ونماذج التدخل من الرعاية الصحية والطب الأكاديمي.
النتائج: تكشف النتائج عن ارتفاع معدلات التحرش بين العاملين في مجال الرعاية الصحية والمتدربين، حيث تُسهّل الهياكل الهرمية والأعراف الثقافية حدوث سوء السلوك. ولا يزال الإبلاغ منخفضًا بسبب الخوف من الانتقام وانعدام الثقة في الأنظمة. ويرتبط التحرش باضطرابات الصحة النفسية والإرهاق وتسرب القوى العاملة، مما يُضعف مرونة النظام الصحي. ويتطلب الوقاية الفعّالة التزامًا من القيادة، وسياسات قوية، وأنظمة إبلاغ سهلة الوصول، وتدريبًا للمارة على التدخل. وقد برزت الثقافة التنظيمية كأقوى مؤشر على انتشار التحرش.
الخلاصة: لا يُعدّ التحرش الجنسي في مجال الرعاية الصحية مشكلة سلوكية معزولة، بل هو تهديدٌ بنيويٌّ للأمن الصحي. ويتطلب التصدي له تحولاً ثقافياً، ومساءلةً للقيادة، واستراتيجيات وقائية متكاملة.
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- Binder R, Garcia P, Johnson B, Fuentes-Afflick E. Sexual Harassment in Medical Schools: The Challenge of Covert Retaliation as a Barrier to Reporting. Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. 2018 Dec:93(12):1770-1773. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000002302.
- Mansour C, Tamirisa KP, Lundberg G, Sharma G, Mehta LS, Mehran R, Volgman AS, Parwani P. Sexual Harassment, Victim Blaming, and the Potential Impact on Women in Cardiology. JACC. Case reports. 2021 Jun:3(6):978-981. doi: 10.1016/j.jaccas.2021.05.002.
- Papantoniou P. Sexual harassment and organisational silencing in nursing: a cross-sectional study in Greece. BMJ open. 2021 Nov 12:11(11):e050850. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-050850.
- Viglianti EM, Oliverio AL, Meeks LM. Sexual harassment and abuse: when the patient is the perpetrator. Lancet (London, England). 2018 Aug 4:392(10145):368-370. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31502-2.
- Schlick CJR, Ellis RJ, Etkin CD, Greenberg CC, Greenberg JA, Turner PL, Buyske J, Hoyt DB, Nasca TJ, Bilimoria KY, Hu YY. Experiences of Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Among Residents in General Surgery Programs Across the US. JAMA surgery. 2021 Oct 1:156(10):942-952. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2021.3195.
- Rihal CS, Baker NA, Bunkers BE, Buskirk SJ, Caviness JN, Collins EA, Copa JC, Hayes SN, Hubert SL, Reed DA, Wendorff SR, Fraser CH, Farrugia G, Noseworthy JH. Addressing Sexual Harassment in the #MeToo Era: An Institutional Approach. Mayo Clinic proceedings. 2020 Apr:95(4):749-757. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2019.12.021.
- Notaro E, Pascoe V, Shinohara MM, DeNiro K. Sexual harassment from patient to provider. International journal of women's dermatology. 2020 Jan:6(1):30-31. doi: 10.1016/j.ijwd.2019.09.001.
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Policy and Global Affairs, Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine, Committee on the Impacts of Sexual Harassment in Academia, Benya FF, Widnall SE, Johnson PA. Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018 Jun 12
- Fnais N, Soobiah C, Chen MH, Lillie E, Perrier L, Tashkhandi M, Straus SE, Mamdani M, Al-Omran M, Tricco AC. Harassment and discrimination in medical training: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. 2014 May:89(5):817-27. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000000200.
- Jagsi R, Griffith KA, Jones R, Perumalswami CR, Ubel P, Stewart A. Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Experiences of Academic Medical Faculty. JAMA. 2016 May 17:315(19):2120-1. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.2188.
- Chun L, Ye R, Wilby KJ. Exploring discrimination towards pharmacists in practice settings. Pharmacy practice. 2020 Jul-Sep:18(3):1966. doi: 10.18549/PharmPract.2020.3.1966.
- Jonsdottir SD, Hauksdottir A, Aspelund T, Jakobsdottir J, Runarsdottir H, Gudmundsdottir B, Tomasson G, Valdimarsdottir UA, Halldorsdottir T, Thordardottir EB. Risk factors for workplace sexual harassment and violence among a national cohort of women in Iceland: a cross-sectional study. The Lancet. Public health. 2022 Sep:7(9):e763-e774. doi: 10.1016/S2468-2667(22)00201-8.
- Jenner S, Djermester P, Prügl J, Kurmeyer C, Oertelt-Prigione S. Prevalence of Sexual Harassment in Academic Medicine. JAMA internal medicine. 2019 Jan 1:179(1):108-111. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.4859.
- Russell HA, Fogarty CT, McDaniel SH, Naumburg EH, Nofziger A, Rosenberg T, Sanders M, Fiscella K. "Am I Making More of It Than I Should?": Reporting and Responding to Sexual Harassment. Family medicine. 2021 Jun:53(6):408-415. doi: 10.22454/FamMed.2021.808187.
- Jagsi R. Sexual Harassment in Medicine - #MeToo. The New England journal of medicine. 2018 Jan 18:378(3):209-211. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp1715962.
- Henson B, Fisher BS, Reyns BW. There Is Virtually No Excuse: The Frequency and Predictors of College Students' Bystander Intervention Behaviors Directed at Online Victimization. Violence against women. 2020 Apr:26(5):505-527. doi: 10.1177/1077801219835050.
- Parrott DJ, Swartout KM, Tharp AT, Purvis DM, Topalli V. Speak Up! Prosocial Intervention Verbalizations Predict Successful Bystander Intervention for a Laboratory Analogue of Sexual Aggression. Sexual abuse : a journal of research and treatment. 2020 Mar:32(2):220-243. doi: 10.1177/1079063218821121.
- Bond MA, Haynes-Baratz MC. Mobilizing bystanders to address microaggressions in the workplace: The case for a systems-change approach to Getting A (Collective) GRIP. American journal of community psychology. 2022 Mar:69(1-2):221-238. doi: 10.1002/ajcp.12557.
- Perumalswami CR, Jagsi R. Sexual Harassment in Radiology: Prevalence and Opportunities for Improvement. Journal of the American College of Radiology : JACR. 2020 Feb:17(2):298-303. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2019.09.012.
- Takeuchi M, Nomura K, Horie S, Okinaga H, Perumalswami CR, Jagsi R. Direct and Indirect Harassment Experiences and Burnout among Academic Faculty in Japan. The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine. 2018 May:245(1):37-44. doi: 10.1620/tjem.245.37.
- Hawes AM, Gondy K. Sexual Harassment in Medical Education: How We Can Do Better. Journal of general internal medicine. 2021 Dec:36(12):3841-3843. doi: 10.1007/s11606-021-06960-w.
- Raj A, Freund KM, McDonald JM, Carr PL. Effects of sexual harassment on advancement of women in academic medicine: A multi-institutional longitudinal study. EClinicalMedicine. 2020 Mar:20():100298. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100298.
- Merkin RS, Shah MK. The impact of sexual harassment on job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and absenteeism: findings from Pakistan compared to the United States. SpringerPlus. 2014:3():215. doi: 10.1186/2193-1801-3-215.
- Magnusson Hanson LL, Nyberg A, Mittendorfer-Rutz E, Bondestam F, Madsen IEH. Work related sexual harassment and risk of suicide and suicide attempts: prospective cohort study. BMJ (Clinical research ed.). 2020 Sep 2:370():m2984. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m2984.
- Lindquist C, McKay T. Sexual Harassment Experiences and Consequences for Women Faculty in Science, Engineering, and Medicine. RTI Press Policy Brief. 2010
- McLaughlin H, Uggen C, Blackstone A. THE ECONOMIC AND CAREER EFFECTS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT ON WORKING WOMEN. Gender & society : official publication of Sociologists for Women in Society. 2017 Jun:31(3):333-358. doi: 10.1177/0891243217704631.
- Jenner SC, Djermester P, Oertelt-Prigione S. Prevention Strategies for Sexual Harassment in Academic Medicine: A Qualitative Study. Journal of interpersonal violence. 2022 Mar:37(5-6):NP2490-NP2515. doi: 10.1177/0886260520903130.
References
Binder R, Garcia P, Johnson B, Fuentes-Afflick E. Sexual Harassment in Medical Schools: The Challenge of Covert Retaliation as a Barrier to Reporting. Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. 2018 Dec:93(12):1770-1773. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000002302.
Mansour C, Tamirisa KP, Lundberg G, Sharma G, Mehta LS, Mehran R, Volgman AS, Parwani P. Sexual Harassment, Victim Blaming, and the Potential Impact on Women in Cardiology. JACC. Case reports. 2021 Jun:3(6):978-981. doi: 10.1016/j.jaccas.2021.05.002.
Papantoniou P. Sexual harassment and organisational silencing in nursing: a cross-sectional study in Greece. BMJ open. 2021 Nov 12:11(11):e050850. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-050850.
Viglianti EM, Oliverio AL, Meeks LM. Sexual harassment and abuse: when the patient is the perpetrator. Lancet (London, England). 2018 Aug 4:392(10145):368-370. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31502-2.
Schlick CJR, Ellis RJ, Etkin CD, Greenberg CC, Greenberg JA, Turner PL, Buyske J, Hoyt DB, Nasca TJ, Bilimoria KY, Hu YY. Experiences of Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Among Residents in General Surgery Programs Across the US. JAMA surgery. 2021 Oct 1:156(10):942-952. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2021.3195.
Rihal CS, Baker NA, Bunkers BE, Buskirk SJ, Caviness JN, Collins EA, Copa JC, Hayes SN, Hubert SL, Reed DA, Wendorff SR, Fraser CH, Farrugia G, Noseworthy JH. Addressing Sexual Harassment in the #MeToo Era: An Institutional Approach. Mayo Clinic proceedings. 2020 Apr:95(4):749-757. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2019.12.021.
Notaro E, Pascoe V, Shinohara MM, DeNiro K. Sexual harassment from patient to provider. International journal of women's dermatology. 2020 Jan:6(1):30-31. doi: 10.1016/j.ijwd.2019.09.001.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Policy and Global Affairs, Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine, Committee on the Impacts of Sexual Harassment in Academia, Benya FF, Widnall SE, Johnson PA. Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018 Jun 12
Fnais N, Soobiah C, Chen MH, Lillie E, Perrier L, Tashkhandi M, Straus SE, Mamdani M, Al-Omran M, Tricco AC. Harassment and discrimination in medical training: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. 2014 May:89(5):817-27. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000000200.
Jagsi R, Griffith KA, Jones R, Perumalswami CR, Ubel P, Stewart A. Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Experiences of Academic Medical Faculty. JAMA. 2016 May 17:315(19):2120-1. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.2188.
Chun L, Ye R, Wilby KJ. Exploring discrimination towards pharmacists in practice settings. Pharmacy practice. 2020 Jul-Sep:18(3):1966. doi: 10.18549/PharmPract.2020.3.1966.
Jonsdottir SD, Hauksdottir A, Aspelund T, Jakobsdottir J, Runarsdottir H, Gudmundsdottir B, Tomasson G, Valdimarsdottir UA, Halldorsdottir T, Thordardottir EB. Risk factors for workplace sexual harassment and violence among a national cohort of women in Iceland: a cross-sectional study. The Lancet. Public health. 2022 Sep:7(9):e763-e774. doi: 10.1016/S2468-2667(22)00201-8.
Jenner S, Djermester P, Prügl J, Kurmeyer C, Oertelt-Prigione S. Prevalence of Sexual Harassment in Academic Medicine. JAMA internal medicine. 2019 Jan 1:179(1):108-111. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.4859.
Russell HA, Fogarty CT, McDaniel SH, Naumburg EH, Nofziger A, Rosenberg T, Sanders M, Fiscella K. "Am I Making More of It Than I Should?": Reporting and Responding to Sexual Harassment. Family medicine. 2021 Jun:53(6):408-415. doi: 10.22454/FamMed.2021.808187.
Jagsi R. Sexual Harassment in Medicine - #MeToo. The New England journal of medicine. 2018 Jan 18:378(3):209-211. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp1715962.
Henson B, Fisher BS, Reyns BW. There Is Virtually No Excuse: The Frequency and Predictors of College Students' Bystander Intervention Behaviors Directed at Online Victimization. Violence against women. 2020 Apr:26(5):505-527. doi: 10.1177/1077801219835050.
Parrott DJ, Swartout KM, Tharp AT, Purvis DM, Topalli V. Speak Up! Prosocial Intervention Verbalizations Predict Successful Bystander Intervention for a Laboratory Analogue of Sexual Aggression. Sexual abuse : a journal of research and treatment. 2020 Mar:32(2):220-243. doi: 10.1177/1079063218821121.
Bond MA, Haynes-Baratz MC. Mobilizing bystanders to address microaggressions in the workplace: The case for a systems-change approach to Getting A (Collective) GRIP. American journal of community psychology. 2022 Mar:69(1-2):221-238. doi: 10.1002/ajcp.12557.
Perumalswami CR, Jagsi R. Sexual Harassment in Radiology: Prevalence and Opportunities for Improvement. Journal of the American College of Radiology : JACR. 2020 Feb:17(2):298-303. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2019.09.012.
Takeuchi M, Nomura K, Horie S, Okinaga H, Perumalswami CR, Jagsi R. Direct and Indirect Harassment Experiences and Burnout among Academic Faculty in Japan. The Tohoku journal of experimental medicine. 2018 May:245(1):37-44. doi: 10.1620/tjem.245.37.
Hawes AM, Gondy K. Sexual Harassment in Medical Education: How We Can Do Better. Journal of general internal medicine. 2021 Dec:36(12):3841-3843. doi: 10.1007/s11606-021-06960-w.
Raj A, Freund KM, McDonald JM, Carr PL. Effects of sexual harassment on advancement of women in academic medicine: A multi-institutional longitudinal study. EClinicalMedicine. 2020 Mar:20():100298. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100298.
Merkin RS, Shah MK. The impact of sexual harassment on job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and absenteeism: findings from Pakistan compared to the United States. SpringerPlus. 2014:3():215. doi: 10.1186/2193-1801-3-215.
Magnusson Hanson LL, Nyberg A, Mittendorfer-Rutz E, Bondestam F, Madsen IEH. Work related sexual harassment and risk of suicide and suicide attempts: prospective cohort study. BMJ (Clinical research ed.). 2020 Sep 2:370():m2984. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m2984.
Lindquist C, McKay T. Sexual Harassment Experiences and Consequences for Women Faculty in Science, Engineering, and Medicine. RTI Press Policy Brief. 2010
McLaughlin H, Uggen C, Blackstone A. THE ECONOMIC AND CAREER EFFECTS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT ON WORKING WOMEN. Gender & society : official publication of Sociologists for Women in Society. 2017 Jun:31(3):333-358. doi: 10.1177/0891243217704631.
Jenner SC, Djermester P, Oertelt-Prigione S. Prevention Strategies for Sexual Harassment in Academic Medicine: A Qualitative Study. Journal of interpersonal violence. 2022 Mar:37(5-6):NP2490-NP2515. doi: 10.1177/0886260520903130.