Studies from Sweden and Canada suggest patients of female surgeons have better outcomes than with male surgeons.Photo:Getty
Getty
Dr. Christopher Wallis, a urologic oncologist at theUniversity of Torontoand Mount Sinai who co-authored the study, toldThe Guardian, “As a male surgeon, I think these data should cause me and my colleagues to pause and consider why this may be.”
The Swedish study found that patients under the care of female surgeons experienced “fewer surgical complications” including bile duct injuries in elective surgery, while also having “significantly longer operation times,” per the JAMA study, than their male counterparts.
Additionally, the study found that female surgeons who operated more slowly, were less likely to switch fromlaparoscopic, or keyhole surgery, to open surgery, and their patients experienced shorter stays in the hospital post-care.
Dr. My Blohm of Stockholm’sKarolinska Institute, who co-authored the Sweden study, claimed the findings suggest that surgical technique and risk-taking behaviors might explain some of the gendered differences observed in surgical outcomes.
“In some countries, there is a general belief that male surgeons are superior to female surgeons,” Blohm wrote JAMA Surgery. “Interestingly, most previously published studies indicate that female surgeons are at least as good as male surgeons, or as in this case even slightly better.”
Wallis claimed that while men and women differ in how they practice medicine, “embracing or adopting some practices” that are commonly used among female surgeons is “likely to improve outcomes” for patients under the care of male doctors.
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“Since undertaking this work," Wallis toldThe Guardian, “I have certainly done this personally and would encourage my colleagues to do the same: use this as a moment for introspection.”
source: people.com
