Monday 26 October 2009

Medical Mobbing


Hospital Doctor presents an interesting piece related to Medical Mobbing. Many in the medical profession have experienced mobbing of this kind.

"In medicine, mobbing has been recognised as ‘sham peer review’. US neurologist Lawrence Huntoon defines it as “an official corrective action done in bad faith, disguised to look like legitimate peer review. Hospitals use it to rid themselves of physicians who advocate too often or too vociferously for quality patient care and patient safety, and economic competitors frequently use it to eliminate unwanted competition”.

Kenneth Westhues, University of Waterloo, said that: “sham peer review is defined by a particular technique of punishing, discrediting, and humiliating the target: the quasi-judicial procedure of peer review, whereby in response to one or more complaints, a hospital committee formally deems the target deficient or incompetent in some way, and decides on a penalty (like retraining, suspension, or dismissal)”.

In his editorial, The Psychology of Sham Peer Review, Huntoon goes onto say: “The psychology of the attackers is a combination of the psychology of bullies and that of the lynch mob. The attacks are typically led by one or a few bullies who have gained positions of power over others and who enjoy exercising and abusing that power to attack and harm the vulnerable. Although there is always some improper motive that precipitates the attack, the attack itself often serves to distract attention from the bully’s own underlying shortcomings, deficiencies, insecurities, and cowardice.”

Here are some related links that may be of use to everyone.

1. In their own Words Academic Mobbing

2. Psychology of Mobbing

3. Bullying in Medical Schools

4. Bullying in Medical Schools

5.Uncovering the face of racism

6. Mobbing in the Workplace

7.Wikipaedia on Mobbing

8. Bullying online on Mobbing

9.Workplace Mobbing Australia

10. Mobbing USA

11. Mob Bullying in the NHS

12. How to Beat NHS Workplace bullying

13. NHS Employers Guidance on Bullying and Harassment

14.Targets Triggering bullying Culture

15. Costs of Bullying to the NHS

16. NHS Bosses "bully 1 in 12"

17.Business Strategy of Equality and Human Rights

18. Mobbing Portal

2 comments:

  1. It seems to me that mobbing is a tool used by management at King's College London medical school to root out students that management decide should not qualify. The activity is organised by management using 'students'. The 'students' who become participants obtain favours from management, such a F1 posts within the Trust hospitals. The target student is harassed and their lives are made a misery. They will not understand why groups of students are showing unwarranted hostility towards them. False rumours are spread about the 'target' student amongst the student body so their friends move away and are too embarrassed to associate with them. If the student complains to management, their complaints are brushed aside and they are accused of being paranoia. This is a criminal act but impossible to prove due to its randomness. It probably accounts for the high suicide rate amongst students at KCL.

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  2. There is much from the USA that parallels what is happening here. The Semmelweiss Society website has much material.

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