Half of junior doctors in an Auckland survey say they have been bullied by nurses or senior doctors.
In the survey, completed by 123 house officers and registrars at Auckland City Hospital, 50 per cent reported experiencing at least one episode of bullying behaviour.
This is comparable tothe prevalence rates found in overseas surveys of junior doctors.
On the question of who were the bullies, the Auckland survey found that 30 per cent were nurses, 30 per cent were consultants, followed by patients (25 per cent), radiologists (8 per cent), and registrars (7 per cent).
The most common bullying behaviour reported was unjustified criticism, comprising 22 per cent of incidents, followed by having efforts undervalued and, next, having work undermined. Verbal threats came in seventh, at 7 per cent.
The survey is reported in today's New Zealand Medical Journal in an article by the hospital's director of clinical training, Dr Stephen Child, and house officers Dr Joanne Scott and Dr Chloe Blanshard.
"Workplace bullying," they say, "can have detrimental effects, such as decreased job satisfaction, depression, anxiety and absenteeism, which impacts on staff retention and patient care.
"While bullying may be a misperception by the victim, it is still of sufficient concern that it requires further study. Organisational support should be given to all employees to minimise such behaviour and support potential victims.
"We recommend training sessions on effective communication and delivery of constructive criticism for the main perpetrator groups identified in this study."
The authors say medical education is hierarchical and high pressure - "differences in knowledge often lead to an imbalance in power".
"In such an environment it would be common for performance feedback to be misinterpreted as bullying rather than a misguided attempt to improve performance."
The Auckland District Health Board said last night it had "zero tolerance" of bullying and had processes to ensure all staff were treated with dignity and respect.
"The [survey] results have helped us to look for ways to continue to build a values-based culture within the organisation.
"The ADHB has been voted as the top employer to work for by New Zealand medical students."
