IMPAC's Melanie Wood (left) with A/Prof Andy Wearn and Drs Fiona Moir and Bradley Patten

An Auckland University team that developed a tool to reduce bullying on clinical placements has won an Impac-sponsored Safeguard New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Award.

Drs Fiona Moir and Bradley Patten and Associate Professor Andy Wearn developed a system for senior medical students to anonymously report bullying, harassment and discrimination on clinical placements, as well as excellence, inclusion and respect. “The purpose was to identify outliers, so that leaders could take action as required and students could know that issues were being tackled,” said Dr Moir. Consultation followed with academic and student leaders, the national forum for chief medical officers and a Ministry of Health taskforce on professional behaviour, which included representatives from other health professions, unions and Otago University.

After three years of surveys, improvements have been seen in areas originally identified as ‘hotspots’, as well as exposing emerging problem areas to nip them in the bud, said Dr Moir. “We wanted to highlight areas rather than individuals, so the relevant leader could explore all issues that could have contributed to that behaviour.”

The team is now working on ways to evaluate the initiative and share the platform with other organisations.