Almost half of doctors sexually harassed by patients, research finds

The findings, which are drawn from an analysis of 22 studies, also say many doctors feel physically unsafe at work and have led to calls for improved safeguarding. Photograph: parkerphotography/Alamy

Almost half of doctors internationally have been sexually harassed by patients, new research has found, prompting calls for medics to be given panic alarms to help repel such behaviour.

Globally, 45% of doctors have suffered sexual harassment of different sorts from patients, according to a review covering seven countries published in the Internal Medicine Journal.