UNDERSTANDING WORKPLACE BULLYING: A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY RESIDENTS

Abstract

Orthopaedic surgery residents face a challenging and high-stress environment due to a multitude of professional demands, including clinical responsibilities, surgical procedures, on-call duties, educational commitments, research obligations, and personal life responsibilities. This stressful milieu contributes to a concerning prevalence of burnout among orthopaedic residents, with rates soaring as high as 42.5%. Orthopaedic surgeons, as a whole, also grapple with burnout, which can vary between 28.4% and 85.1%.

Additionally, the issue of bullying is a pervasive concern in contemporary society. Bullying, as defined by the CDC and US Department of Education, involves unwanted or aggressive behaviors characterized by an imbalance of power that may result in harm or distress to the victim. Within the workplace context, bullying manifests as actions intended to cause distress, such as assigning menial tasks, removing responsibilities, setting individuals up for failure, withholding information, and offering unfair criticism. The consequences of workplace bullying include decreased performance, increased workplace errors, and deteriorating interpersonal relationships. Alarming statistics indicate that bullying is a prevalent issue in graduate medical education, affecting 48% of residents across all specialties.

Specifically, within general surgery, 66.9% of residents have reported experiencing bullying, with 43.8% facing occasional bullying and 18.1% subjected to frequent bullying. Several risk factors have been identified, including gender, race, international medical school background, and low in-training exam scores. These factors contribute to the pervasive nature of bullying in surgical training programs, necessitating a comprehensive examination of its impact on the well-being and professional development of orthopaedic surgery residents.

This study aims to explore the intricate relationship between burnout and bullying among orthopaedic surgery residents. By investigating the prevalence of bullying, identifying potential risk factors, and assessing its effects on resident well-being and performance, this research seeks to shed light on the complex interplay between these two phenomena. Additionally, we aim to propose strategies and interventions to mitigate the detrimental effects of bullying and reduce burnout rates among orthopaedic residents