N. H. Goldhaber1, S. Douglas1, J. Reeves1, H. Chau1, R. S. Waterman2, N. Lopez1, K. Mekeel1 1University Of California – San Diego, Department Of Surgery, San Diego, CA, USA 2University Of California – San Diego, Department Of Anesthesia, San Diego, CA, USA
Introduction: The field of medicine, and in particular the field of surgery, was historically dominated by male physicians. According to the 2019 AAMC record of active physicians, 78% of general surgeons are male and 22% are female. However, medical school classes are currently majority female (53.6% of matriculants in 2020), and increasing numbers of women are becoming surgeons and achieving high level positions within surgical departments, including at UCSD. Despite this, the presence of gender-based disparities in the perioperative arena are often cited. The aim of this study is to gauge the prevalence of these sentiments using a survey tool and to ultimately use these results to guide discussion and policy-making to abolish gender disparities.
Methods: An anonymous 16 question multiple-choice survey was designed in which participants were asked to provide the gender they identify with, followed by a series of questions in which they were asked whether they felt that surgeons of their gender experience access to various perioperative resources equally compared to other surgeons at this institution. The survey ended with an opportunity to provide additional commentary or insights. The survey was sent electronically via email to all surgical attendings at the study institution. Participation was voluntary. Descriptive statistics were performed for data analysis.
Results: 47 surgeons responded to the survey. 24 reported identifying as female (51% of respondents), 20 (42.6% of respondents) as male, one as non-binary, one as other, and one as “irrelevant” (2.1% each). The majority of participants felt that all genders were “equally likely” to have the same perioperative experience (Table 1). However, participants who identified as female were more likely than males to report feelings that surgeons of their gender are less likely to have access to perioperative resources compared to other surgeons at UCSD, and more likely to experience case delays or “bumps.” Preliminary EPIC/OPTIME data of operating room key performance indicators at an institutional level did not reveal a gender difference, however detailed analysis is forthcoming.
Conclusion: In this study, surgeons who self-identified as female were more likely to report feeling gender inequities or disparities in the perioperative setting. Future directions include additional analysis of objective measures in the electronic medical records (EPIC/OPTIME) to corroborate or dispute the sentiments. Together with the survey results, we hope to address and abolish feelings and/or possible presence of gender disparities at this institution and provide subjective and objective tools for other institutions potentially facing gender equity-based challenges.
