ArticleThe British journal of surgery2026
Seeing the unseen: a theory of sexual misconduct perception in the surgical workplace.
Article in The British journal of surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionSexual misconduct in surgery is recognized as widespread, yet individuals within the same departments report markedly different perceptions of prevalence. Quantitative data show gender differences in experiences, but reasons for this remain unclear. This study explored perceptions of sexual misconduct in the UK surgical workplace and developed a heuristic framework.
methodsQualitative analysis was undertaken of free-text responses from 742 participants in a 2022 nationwide UK survey. Respondents included students, trainees and consultants. Inductive, reflexive thematic analysis within a constructionist paradigm was conducted, with iterative coding by two researchers and team discussions to refine themes and develop an explanatory framework.
resultsAccounts diverged. Some participants described respectful workplaces with little misconduct, whereas others reported pervasive harassment, assault and inaction. Using an X-ray metaphor, the 'Lateral View X-ray' theory was developed to explain this. The 'AP View' reflects unawareness or minimization, sustained by limited exposure, normalization as banter, defensiveness, and seniority-related distancing. The 'Lateral View' reflects heightened awareness from personal or witnessed experiences, hypervigilance, frustration at inaction, and informal warning networks. Male victims described additional barriers to recognition and disclosure. Drawing on standpoint and epistemic injustice theory, this work demonstrates how social position, power, and language shape whether misconduct is recognized or obscured.
conclusionThe Lateral View X-ray theory explains how sexual misconduct can be simultaneously pervasive and invisible within surgery. Awareness depends on vantage point, where those least exposed perceive little problem, whereas those affected perceive structural harm. Embedding this framework in surgical education may widen perspective, improve responses and support cultural change.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.