In an article published in the Medical Journal of Australia, researchers found bullying is so widespread in the health system in Australia it's considered endemic.

According to the article, between 25 and 50 per cent of medical staff have been subjected to discrimination, bullying or sexual harassment while at work.

"Although unprofessional behaviour is common, the true prevalence is likely to be significantly underestimated, with widespread under-reporting," the report said.

"Humiliation, belittling and verbal abuse of medical students and trainees are common and, in some situations, normalised in Australia."

Australian Institute of Health Innovation research fellow Neroli Sunderland, one of the report's authors, said the health of patients has been put at risk due to bullying.

"We know when staff are bullied in all workplaces, there's a bigger risk of anxiety and having difficulty concentrating," she said.

"It's particularly concerning in the health system because it impacts upon the duty of care."

The report findings come as an independent review is set to examine workplace culture within the ACT health system, with cases of alleged bullying widespread across Canberra's hospitals.

Last month, the training accreditation of the intensive care unit at Sydney's Westmead Hospital was stripped in response to bullying and harassment allegations.

Another Sydney hospital, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, was also barred from training doctors in its cardiothoracic surgery department.

The medical journal report said changing bullying behaviour within hospitals must start within university or training programs.

However, without culture change across hospitals, the training programs would have limited success.

"There was a recent study of medical students, where the majority of them had been treated bad in hospitals during their training, and 50 per cent of them thought that was a good way to learn, and they were humiliated for making mistakes," Ms Sunderland said.

"Now there's an awareness and less acceptance of bullying, and there will have to be a willingness from the hospitals to change the culture."

Staff burnout and dissatisfaction as a result of poor workplace culture and bullying threaten the sustainability of the health workforce, according to the report.

"Without addressing behaviour, teamwork and culture, programs [to create a safe work culture] will have limited impact on optimising safety and quality of care," the report said.

Ms Sunderland said in order for changes to be made, a cultural shift would have to happen in training facilities and hospitals.

"The main component is to remove the negative repercussions that people receive if they speak up," she said.

"We know that very often people don't report incidents for the fear it could impact upon their career or it would impact themselves."