Current Diversity Issues in Cardiovascular Workplaces in the Chugoku District ― Results From 2 Questionnaire Surveys ―

Background: Various issues, such as gender diversity and overwork, need to be considered in cardiovascular workplaces. Here, we report the results of 2 questionnaire surveys conducted among members of the Chugoku branch of the Japanese Circulation Society.

Methods and Results: The first questionnaire was posted to all 194 female members in 2018. Of the 73 respondents, 61.6% reported feeling that it would be difficult to continue in cardiovascular care. The second questionnaire was completed by participants of the Chugoku Regional Meeting in 2019. Of the 133 respondents, 42.4% reported difficulties continuing in cardiovascular care. Respondents reporting difficulties had a significantly lower mean age, a higher frequency of day and night shifts, and a higher rate of working >80 h/week than respondents who did not report such difficulties. In logistic regression analysis, working >80 h/week was the only independent factor associated with difficulties continuing in cardiovascular care (odds ratio 4.16; 95% confidence interval 1.46–11.9; P=0.008). Although 47.4% of respondents worked >960 h overtime per year (considered a risk factor for death from overwork), 59.6% of these respondents reported being satisfied with their current situation.

Conclusions: In the Chugoku region, the work-life balance of medical personnel engaged in cardiovascular care has not been sufficiently secured. In order to promote diverse human resources, we need to recognize the current situation and continue to take countermeasures.

Female cardiologists in Japan

In Japan, the heavy workload managed by cardiologists might make it difficult for female cardiologists to work comfortably, and some hospital managers hesitate to employ female cardiologists. Are the clinical outcomes of patients with cardiovascular diseases affected by the cardiologist's gender? In our previous study, the risk of emergency readmission within 30 days after discharge was found to be significantly lower for patients treated by female cardiologists than for those treated by male cardiologists. Compared to male counterparts, female cardiologists were more likely to practice evidence-based and guideline-directed medicine and communicate with other experts, that is, they are better at solving complex problems in the attending doctors' team. In addition, female cardiologists probably maintain more robust physician-patient communication and successfully provide more fine-tuned and patient-centered preventive care than male cardiologists. In Japan, the rate of female doctors 21.1% is the lowest among the rates for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. Under such a situation, in our hospital, a representative teaching hospital where female cardiologists constitute larger than other hospitals in Japan, better clinical outcome was observed in the patients treated by female cardiologists over those treated by male cardiologists. Considering the preference of medical management by female cardiologists, an increase in the number of female cardiovascular medicine practitioners is necessary from the perspective of patients' clinical outcomes.