Female Surgeons Outperform Male Counterparts in Surgical Outcomes, Study Shows
Female surgeons take the lead in surgical outcomes, outperforming their male counterparts, according to a recent study conducted in Canada. Researchers discovered that patients treated by women surgeons had a 10 percent lower likelihood of experiencing complications such as internal bleeding or infection within 90 days following surgery compared to those treated by male surgeons. The study involved analyzing data from approximately 1.2 million patients who underwent surgeries ranging from fractures to hip replacements and heart problems.
One of the factors contributing to the difference in outcomes was patients’ response to guidance from male and female doctors. The study revealed that patients were more likely to follow the advice given by female doctors regarding weight loss, exercise, and diet compared to male doctors. This discrepancy suggests that male doctors may face more disagreement from patients when providing guidance in these areas.
Interestingly, an unrelated study found that male doctors tended to complete surgeries more quickly than their female counterparts. For procedures like gallbladder removal, male surgeons had significantly shorter operating times. However, the majority of doctors are men, and the share has been steadily increasing in recent decades.
The Canadian researchers also noted that female doctors tended to have younger patients with fewer risk factors compared to male doctors. This demographic difference may be a contributing factor to the superior surgical outcomes achieved by female surgeons.
The study, published in JAMA Surgery, analyzed patients within the Ontario Health Insurance Plan in Canada. The researchers extracted data from 1.16 million patients who underwent various elective or emergency surgeries in the province between 2007 and 2019. They tracked the patients for up to a year to monitor adverse events, including death, re-admission, or complications arising from surgery.
The findings revealed that 14.3 percent of patients experienced one or more complications within 90 days after surgery, and a quarter of patients had complications within a year. Within 90 days, 14.5 percent of patients treated by male surgeons experienced complications, while a lower percentage of 12.6 percent of patients treated by female surgeons faced complications. This trend continued over a year, with 25.8 percent of patients treated by male surgeons experiencing complications compared to 19 percent of patients treated by female surgeons.
The analysis took various factors into account, such as patient and doctor gender, age, the year the surgery took place, and socioeconomic status. The researchers also discovered that patients were up to 25 percent more likely to die within a year if they had a male doctor compared to a female doctor. However, this disparity may be attributed to the fact that male doctors tend to treat older patients with more comorbidities.
Dr. Christopher Wallis, the lead author of the study and a urologist at the University of Toronto, emphasized that while technical ability has an association with short-term surgical outcomes, other factors, including patient selection, may contribute more significantly to long-term patient outcomes. Differences in communication, practice style, and physician-patient relationships between male and female doctors may play a crucial role in longer-term patient outcomes.
Data showed that female doctors primarily worked in general surgery and obstetrics and gynecology, while male doctors tended to specialize in general surgery and orthopedic surgery. Previous studies have also highlighted that male doctors often complete more work and generate more revenue than their female counterparts. However, female doctors spend more time in direct patient care for every visit, every day, and over the course of a year.
The study’s findings shed light on the importance of considering the impact of gender when evaluating surgical outcomes. While women surgeons exhibit better results in terms of post-surgical complications, the study also highlights the need for further research and exploration of the various factors underlying these differences. By understanding these factors, healthcare systems can strive to provide optimal care to all patients, regardless of their surgeon’s gender.
