Female surgeons were sexually abused even during surgeries

The research was commissioned by the independent Working Group on Sexual Harassment in Surgery and supported by the Royal College of Surgeons, Health Education England and the Association of Surgeons in Training.

The findings were presented to NHS England, the General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates doctors, and the British Medical Association.

The news service spoke with several female surgeons who have experienced sexual violence or harassment by colleagues, including in the operating room.

Senior male surgeons often abuse female trainees in NHS hospitals, study authors claim.

The Royal College of Surgeons said the study's findings were "absolutely shocking".

We quickly, simply and clearly explain what happened, why it is important and what will happen next.

The fact is that sexual harassment and even rape are open secrets in this environment. There are many cases unknown to the general public when women were grabbed by their private parts right through their gowns, when male surgeons, for example, blotted sweat from their foreheads on the chest of a trainee standing next to the operating table, about how they rubbed their erect penises against the bodies of female colleagues .

Some of them were offered a humiliating exchange: sex for advancement in their careers.

The analysis, carried out by the Universities of Exeter and Surry and the Working Group on Sexual Harassment in Hospital Surgical Departments, was provided exclusively to BBC News.

Nearly two-thirds of the female surgeons who agreed to answer the researchers' questions said they had been the target of sexual harassment, and a third of them said they had been sexually assaulted by colleagues in the past five years.

Women say they fear that if they complain about such behavior it will damage their careers. They are equally unsure that the NHS will be willing to take any action.

Judith is nervous when she talks about this incident from her work experience. She asked that we use only her first name and not her last name. She is now an experienced and talented consultant surgeon, but at the beginning of her career things were a little different.

At the very beginning of her work as a surgeon, when her position in the hierarchy of the operating room was at the very bottom, an extremely unpleasant incident happened to her.

The thing was that the senior surgeon, a man, was sweating. “[He] just turned around and buried his head right into my chest, and I realized that he was wiping his sweaty forehead on me.”

“I was just dumbfounded: what is his face doing in my cleavage?”

The second time the surgeon did this, Judith offered to bring him a towel. To which the answer came: “No, it’s much more fun.”

Judith says he had a smirk on his face. She felt as if she had been “dunked into the mud,” realizing how she had been humiliated.

But what was even worse was that all her colleagues who were in the same operating room simply remained silent.

“He wasn’t even the most senior person in the operating room, but he knew that this was normal behavior, and that’s what was most disgusting,” she recalls.

Judith's story happened in the middle of an operating room, but sexual harassment and sexual assault extend beyond hospitals.

Anne (we can't reveal her real name for legal reasons) agreed to talk to the BBC because she believes problems can only be solved when people start talking openly and loudly about them.

She does not want to consider what happened to her as rape, but makes it clear that she did not consent to sexual contact.

All this happened outside a medical institution, at a reception dedicated to a medical conference, which brought together doctors of the same specialty.

Everything was as usual: she was an intern, and he was a consultant.

“I trusted him, he was an example for me,” she says.

And he took advantage of this trust, telling her that since she didn’t know anyone at this reception and couldn’t trust them, he would walk her home.

“So he walked me to where I was staying. I thought he just wanted to talk to me, but he attacked me and had sex with me.”

She said that at that moment her body just went numb and that she "couldn't stop it."

“I didn’t want this, I never wanted this, it was a complete surprise.” When she saw him the next day, she “barely could control herself.”

“I felt like there was no point in making a fuss, I felt like there was a kind of unspoken rule - just tolerate whatever they do to you.”

This incident made an indelible impression on Anne: at first she simply fell into an emotional stupor, and years later suddenly “memories flooded into my head, and it was a complete nightmare.”

The horror she experienced haunted her even at work, as she prepared to operate on a patient.

Everyone recognizes that such behavior is usually hushed up. Surgeons' training is largely based on learning from senior colleagues in the operating room, and many women have told us how risky it is to make allegations against those who have power over them and influence over their future careers.

The study's report, to be published in the British Journal of Surgery, will be the first to attempt to assess the extent of this disgraceful behavior.

The survey included 1,434 registered surgeons, half of whom were men and half of whom were women, under conditions of complete anonymity.

The results were as follows:

63% of women have been sexually harassed by colleagues

30% of women have been sexually assaulted by a co-worker

11% of women reported forced physical contact related to career opportunities

At least 11 cases of rape were reported

90% of women and 81% of men have witnessed sexual harassment in some form

Although the survey found that men can also be victims of sexual violence (24% have been sexually assaulted), the study's authors concluded that male and female surgeons "live in different worlds."

"Our findings are likely to shake public confidence in the surgical profession," said Dr Christopher Begeny from the University of Exeter.

However, a second report by the same authors, “Breaking the Silence: Addressing Sexual Harassment in Healthcare,” offers advice on what needs to change.

Both reports note that the relatively low proportion of female surgeons (about 28%) coupled with the rigid hierarchy that exists in the surgical environment gives some men significant power.

This adds to the challenges of working in the stressful environment in which surgeons must operate.

“This results in a number of cases where this behavior goes unpunished and the actions of these individuals go unchecked,” said Professor Carrie Newlands, a consultant surgeon at Surry State University.

She decided to eradicate this evil practice after learning about the sad experiences of her younger colleagues.

"The most common scenario is that a young trainee is abused by a senior male perpetrator, who is often also her supervisor," she told the BBC.

“This is what feeds the whole culture of silence, when they really fear for their future and career if they make these incidents public,” the professor explained.

The survey also revealed that very few people believe that organizations such as local NHS boards, the General Medical Council (which maintains a register of all doctors licensed to practice medicine in Britain) and the various Royal Colleges (associations of doctors) in individual specialties) can solve these problems.

“We need major changes to the procedures for investigating complaints so that they are carried out by external independent bodies and are trusted. This is the only way healthcare can become a safer place to work,” says Professor Newlands.

Tim Mitchell, president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, told the BBC the findings were "completely shocking" and would be a disgrace to the surgical profession.

He acknowledged that it is clear that this is a common problem that has not yet been solved.

“We need to ensure that this kind of behavior is not condoned under any circumstances, so that victims can be confident that their complaints will be taken seriously,” he said.

Dr Binta Sultan, from NHS England, said the report was incredibly difficult to read and that it made it clear that more needs to be done to make hospitals safe for everyone.

“We are already on this path, we have already committed to providing greater support to those who have suffered harassment or inappropriate behavior, including through the creation of clearer reporting mechanisms,” she said.

Last month the General Medical Council updated the professional rules that doctors must adhere to.

Its chief executive, Charlie Massey, said sexual behavior towards patients or colleagues would not be tolerated and that serious misconduct was incompatible with being a practicing doctor in Britain.

But is surgery a safe place to work for women today?

"Not always. And it’s very disappointing that you have to admit it,” says Judith.