Intraoperative behaviors survey (AU)

Invitation to participate

You are invited to participate in a research study examining your exposure and responses to disruptive behavior in the operating room. We define disruptive intraoperative behaviors as those that undermine a reasonable person’s standard of respectful behavior. These behaviors range from mild incivility to egregious abuse. They are critical to study, since they can undermine the wellbeing of clinicians, the functioning of institutions, and the safety of patients. The way people respond to these behaviors is also critical since responses can ameliorate or exacerbate the negative effects of disruptive behavior.

Who we are

This survey is being conducted by the Intraoperative Behaviors Research Group consisting of researchers from the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), the University of Michigan, and several health regions across North America. This group previously conducted the largest survey study on the topic (involving ~7500 clinician responses across 7 countries), which resulted in many original peer-reviewed articles and several invited reviews. This study has been approved by the University of the Fraser Valley research ethics board and is being submitted for review by the ACT Health Human Research Ethics Committee.

What we are asking you to do
The procedure involves completing a questionnaire assessing exposure and responses to disruptive intraoperative behavior. It will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Please complete the survey only once.

Voluntary participation and withdrawal

Your participation in this research study is completely voluntary. Upon participating, you may withdraw at any time by not completing the remainder of the survey, but your answers up to that point may be used in the analysis. Due to the anonymous nature of the study, removal of your data after completion or discontinuation will not be possible. You may skip any question that makes you uncomfortable.

Confidentiality and anonymity

Your responses will be anonymous, and we will not link them to any directly identifying information such as your name, email address or IP address. Efforts to safeguard your confidentiality are in place. All data will be stored in a password-protected, electronic format. The data from this study will be discussed and presented in composite form in any resulting presentations or publications. Data access will be limited to the main study investigators and the UFV research ethics board. However, absolute confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. To help safeguard your confidentiality, please do not write your name or identifying information in any textboxes.

Survey platform, data storage, and data transfer

This survey is hosted via SurveyMonkey, a U.S.–based web platform. All responses will be stored in the United States, where they may be subject to U.S. laws such as the Patriot Act, which may permit law enforcement to request access to such records. Survey data will be deleted from the SurveyMonkey account within 1 year of study completion (which would be approximately the summer of 2027) while the de-identified analytic dataset retained by the research team will be stored indefinitely for future comparative analyses. The study data will remain under the custody and control of the Principal Investigator and the University of the Fraser Valley; SurveyMonkey is used only as a temporary survey-hosting service.

Access to the dataset will be limited to authorised members of the research team and protected through password-protected, access-restricted storage. Data transfer between jurisdictions will occur only through secure electronic transmission associated with the SurveyMonkey platform and secure access by the Canadian research team.

Potential benefits and risks

There is no direct benefit to you for participating in this study. However, the information you provide will be useful in identifying institutional factors that affect exposure and responses to disruptive intraoperative behaviors.

Some questions may prompt you to recall uncomfortable or distressing experiences. If you are currently feeling very distressed, you may prefer to delay participation until you feel ready or choose not to participate.

If participation raises workplace-related concerns for you, you may wish to contact supports available through your workplace or professional context, such as your employee assistance program, staff wellbeing service, workplace health and safety process, professional association support service, union representative, or formal incident-reporting pathway.

Support services

If you are experiencing distress to the degree that you require mental health support, please contact one of the following services (listed with MHAustralia):

· Lifeline 131114, lifeline.org.au

· Beyond Blue 1300224636, beyondblue.org.au

· 13YARN 139276 (for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People)

· SANE Australia 1800187263 (10 am-8 pm), sane.org

· Suicide Call Back Service 1300659467

· Medicare Mental Health 1800595212, medicarementalhealth.gov.au

Psychological support is available through your family doctor or, if available, your employee assistance program or professional society (e.g., RACS, ACORN).

If you are, or someone you know is, in immediate danger call 000 or Lifeline 131114.

Reporting pathways

Completing this survey is anonymous and does not create an official report of workplace misconduct, malpractice, or criminality, or any other workplace health concern.

If you wish to report a specific incident or seek formal assistance, please use the appropriate local pathway available to you. This may include contacting your supervisor, service director, unit manager, workplace health and safety representative, human resources department, professional regulator, union representative, or another formal reporting process within your organisation.

Questions or concerns about the study

Should you have any queries about the way in which the study is conducted, and do not feel comfortable communicating with the staff conducting this survey, please contact: ACT Health Human Research Ethics Committee (ACTH-HREC), Level 6, Building 10, Canberra Hospital, Telephone: (02) 5124 7968 or ethics@act.gov.au

Further information

If you would like additional information about the study, an expanded participant information sheet can be found here