Nearly three-quarters of nurses or midwives have witnessed or suffered sexual harassment from people under their care, a YouGov poll suggests.
More than four in ten (44 per cent) have been on the receiving end of inappropriate comments, touching, or other misconduct from patients, while 29 per cent have witnessed such behaviour, the survey found.
In total, out of 206 respondents, 73 per cent of registered nurses and midwives have seen or experienced this type of conduct.
Of this group, nearly a third (32 per cent) said it happens at least once a month, with 12 per cent reporting that it happens once a week or more.
In recent years, reports have emerged of doctors, nurses, and other industry professionals experiencing unwanted and inappropriate behaviour from people under their care.
Data from YouGov’s health panel indicates that more than a quarter (28 per cent) of all frontline medical professionals have been sexually harassed by patients, with a similar proportion (25 per cent) saying they’ve witnessed this kind of behaviour.
Respondents were allowed to select both the option that they'd experienced inappropriate conduct personally and the option that they've seen it happen to others.
A quarter of those claiming to have experienced or witnessed this behaviour (25 per cent) said it occurred on a monthly basis, with almost one in ten (nine per cent) saying it happens on a weekly basis or more.
Along gender lines, 29 per cent of female healthcare workers in patient facing and non-patient facing roles said they had been sexually harassed compared to 11 per cent of males.
However, more than a quarter of men said they’d seen this behaviour first-hand (27 per cent) compared to a 22 per cent of women.
