Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour of Patients Towards French General Practitioners

Occupational sexual harassment (HS) has come to the fore in recent years, particularly with the #MeToo social movement that has encouraged women victims of sexual violence to speak out around the world. The medical profession is not exempt from this phenomenon, whether during the training or professional life of practitioners. In France, very little data is available on this subject, particularly among general practitioners. However, the specific nature of the doctor-patient relationship in general practice makes it a potentially high-risk setting. Furthermore, practitioners' experiences of inappropriate sexual behaviour (ISB) can lead to changes in professional practice, and can thus directly influence the quality of care provided to patients. It is also described in the literature that sexual harassment in physicians is independently associated with a decrease in job satisfaction and sense of security at work, and may be associated with an altered mental health status. To date, the only French studies on ISB and HS in medicine have focused on the period of medical study, and none have looked at the particular problem of the patient as perpetrator of the violence. It is in this context that it has been decided to set up this cross-sectional study with the aim of evaluating the prevalence of ISB occurring during consultations with French general practitioners, to describe their characteristics and to evaluate the responses provided and the repercussions on professional practice.