Is enough being done to stamp out sexual misconduct in general practice?
Cases remain rare, but GPs are among the most likely specialists to be accused of sexual misconduct, says Associate Professor Marie Bismark
GPs are more likely than any other specialists besides psychiatrists to be accused of sexual misconduct, new figures show.
Some 655 doctors and 512 other registered practitioners were reported to AHPRA or a state health complaints commission for alleged sexual misconduct between 2011 and 2016.
Of those, 297 were GPs — meaning about 1.1% of the specialty was subject to a complaint in that time, according to a study published in the MJA last week.
The researchers, led by Associate Professor Marie Bismark of the University of Melbourne law school, said sexual misconduct complaints were still rare considering the size of the health workforce.
