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Thursday, August 31st, 2023

Patients have better outcomes with female surgeons, studies find

Author:     Ian Sample
Source:     The Guardian (U.K.)
Publication Date:     Wed 30 Aug 2023 | 13.39 EDT
 Link: Patients have better outcomes with female surgeons, studies find
Stephan:  

Here is a very interesting trend that has just turned up about medical surgical care in Canada and Sweden. It presents two large well conducted studies, one in Canada the other in Sweden. They tell us something very significant about the difference between male and female surgeons. You might consider this if you or a family member or friend has to undergo surgery.

To read the research studies upon which this report is based see: Surgeon Sex and Long-Term Postoperative Outcomes Among Patients Undergoing Common Surgeries also, Differences in Cholecystectomy Outcomes and Operating Time Between Male and Female Surgeons in Sweden

The Canadian study found patients treated by male surgeons were 25% more likely to die one year after surgery than those treated by female surgeons. Credit: Chee Gin Tan/Getty 

People who are operated on by female surgeons are less likely to experience complications and need follow-up care than when males wield the scalpel, according to two major studies that suggest male surgeons have important lessons to learn.

Doctors in Canada and Sweden reviewed more than 1m patient records from two separate medical registers and found that patients seen by female surgeons had significantly better outcomes with fewer problems in the months after the operation.

The researchers are investigating potential reasons for the differences, but the records suggest that female surgeons tend to operate more slowly and may achieve better results by taking their time in the operating theatre.

Dr Christopher Wallis, who led one of the studies at Mount Sinai hospital in Toronto, said the findings should prompt male surgeons to reflect on their approach to surgery and learn from female colleagues for the benefit of their patients. “As […]

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