Gender Distribution in Pediatric Hospital Medicine Leadership

Gender Communication Differences on a Pediatric Provider Listserv

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Gender-based communication differences are described in educational online communities, but have not been rigorously evaluated in medical online communities. Understanding gender differences in communication may provide insight into gender disparities in the medical profession. Our objective was to describe gender differences in post frequency, content, and language styles on the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Hospital Medicine (SOHM) listserv.

METHODS

Posts were obtained from publicly available SOHM listserv archives. The first month of every quarter of 2019 and 2020 were reviewed. Two reviewers assigned a post topic (clinical, research, etc) and format (question vs statement) to all deidentified original posts (K = 1.0 topic, 0.89 format). Six trained reviewers assigned language styles (intraclass coefficient = 0.73, indicating good agreement).

RESULTS

We analyzed 1592 posts: 287 original posts and 1305 responses. Frequency: Women authored 50% of posts. The 9 most frequent posters (7 men, 2 women) accounted for 19.5% of posts. Content: Men's posts had more words than women's (132.51 vs 112.3, P ≤ .01). Men were more likely to post about health policy and research (P < .001). Men were more likely to post statements compared with women (39% vs 21%, P < .001). Style: Men's posts were more likely to be coded adversarial (12.3% vs 5.5%, P < .001) authoritative (12.2% vs 6.5%, P < .001) or self-amplifying (6.5% vs 3.6%, P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Women contribute disproportionately fewer posts to the American Academy of Pediatrics SOHM listserv compared with their percentage in the subspecialty. We noted significant gender differences in language style and content, which may impact career development and online community inclusion.

Association Between Gender and Salary Among Pediatric Hospital Medicine Physicians

OBJECTIVES

Gender-based disparities in salary exist in multiple fields of medicine. However, there is limited data examining gender inequities in salary in pediatric hospital medicine (PHM). Our primary objective was to assess whether gender-based salary differences exist in PHM. The secondary objective was to assess if, among women, the differences in salary varied on the basis of leadership positions or self-identified race and ethnicity.

METHODS

We conducted a survey-based, cross-sectional study of pediatric hospitalists in December 2021. Our primary outcomes were base and total salary, adjusted for the reported number of average weekly work hours. We performed subanalyses by presence of a leadership position, as well as race. We used a weighted t test using inverse probability weighting to compare the outcomes between genders.

RESULTS

A total of 559 eligible people responded to our survey (51.0%). After propensity score weighting, women's mean base salary was 87.7% of men's base (95% confidence interval [CI] 79.8%-96.4%, P < .01), and women's total salary was 85.6% of men's total (95% CI 73.2%-100.0%, P = .05) salary. On subgroup analysis of respondents with a leadership position, women's total salary was 80.6% of men's total salary (95% CI 68.7%-94.4%, P < .01). Although women who identified as white had base salaries that were 86.6% of white men's base salary (95% CI 78.5%-95.5%, P < .01), there was no gender-based difference noted between respondents that identified as nonwhite (88.4% [69.9%-111.7%] for base salary, 80.3% [57.2% to 112.7%]).

CONCLUSIONS

Gender-based discrepancies in salary exists in PHM, which were increased among those with leadership roles. Continued work and advocacy are required to achieve salary equity within PHM.

Perspectives on Professional Development Among University and Community Pediatric Hospitalists

Multiple professional societies have emphasized the importance of professional development for physicians. This qualitative study aimed to explore pediatric hospitalists' perceptions of professional development needs and to refine a framework for professional development in pediatric hospital medicine (PHM). We conducted four focus groups in April to May 2019 with 19 pediatric hospitalists at six clinical sites within a single institution. Participants identified key components of professional development including skill development, personal growth, career satisfaction, and individualization. Hospitalists agreed upon 8 domains of professional development: clinical excellence, advocacy, global health, health care administration, informatics, medical education, quality improvement, and research. They also identified missing the mentorship necessary to change their passions into career advancement, highlighted barriers and facilitators, and noted that an alignment in personally meaningful projects to what is meaningful to the institution was in everyone's best interests. Faculty programs should build infrastructure to aid pediatric hospitalists in achieving their career goals.

Gender and work-life balance: Results of a national survey of pediatric hospitalists

In medicine, difficulty integrating work and home can lead to decreased job satisfaction, diminished well-being, and increased turnover. Understanding the experience of pediatric hospitalists can provide insights into building a stable, long-term workforce. We aim to examine gender differences in work-life balance and parental leave for physicians practicing Pediatric Hospital Medicine.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional survey study of 1096 pediatric hospitalists. Responses were collected via an online survey platform and summarized using descriptive statistics, including frequency distributions and measures of central tendency. A multivariable logistic regression was used to examine associated variables and work-life balance satisfaction. We analyzed free responses on parental leave to provide nuance to quantitative survey data.

RESULTS

Five hundred and sixty-five respondents (52% response rate) completed the survey with 71% women. 343 (62%) prioritize work-life balance in career decision-making. Women report taking on more household responsibilities than their partners (41.4% vs. 8.4%; p < .001) including a larger percentage of caregiving and domestic tasks. Female gender and performing <50% caregiving were associated with decreased work-life balance satisfaction; performing <50% domestic tasks increased satisfaction. Median parental leaves were 4 weeks, with men taking significantly shorter leaves (3.5 vs. 6 weeks; p < .001) and more "paid back" time off.

CONCLUSION

Work-life balance is an important factor in career decisions for men and women. Women perceive carrying a larger load at home. Qualitative results suggest that parental leave may be inadequate in length and salary support for men and women. This study adds insights into work-life integration in PHM.

Organizational Leadership Gender Differences in Medical Schools and Affiliated Universities

Objective: To compare gender compositions in the leadership of the top 25 medical schools in North America with the leadership of their affiliated university senior leadership and other faculties. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional observational study used publicly available gender data from 2018 to 2019 of universities drawn from the U.S. News Best Global Universities for Clinical Medicine Ranking report. Gender compositions in eight leadership tiers from senior leadership to medical school department directors were analyzed. Data analysis included gender compositions by leadership tier and faculty. Results: Male representation is greater at higher leadership tiers, with the largest imbalance being at the level of medical school department heads. The faculty of medicine has more men in leadership positions than the average of the other faculties (p = 0.02), though similar to schools of engineering, business, dentistry, and pharmacy. Across the eight leadership tiers, a significant trend exists between tier and proportions, indicating that male representation was greater at higher tiers (p < 0.001). No correlation was found between a university's leadership gender composition and its ranking. Conclusion: The under-representation of women is greater in medical school leadership than the leadership of their affiliated universities. The faculty of medicine has greater male over-representation than the average of the other faculties.

Characteristics of Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship Program Directors

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Rapid growth in pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) fellowships has occurred, yielding many new program directors (PDs). Characteristics of PDs have potential implications on the field. To describe characteristics (demographic, educational) and scholarly interests of PHM fellowship PDs.

METHODS

We developed and distributed a 15-question, cross-sectional national survey to the PHM PDs listserv. Questions were pilot tested. The survey was open for 4 weeks with weekly reminders. Responses were summarized using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

Fifty-six current fellowship leaders (40 PDs, 16 associate PDs [APDs]) responded, including at least 1 from 43 of 59 active PHM fellowship programs (73%). Most respondents identified as female (71%) and ≤50 years old (80%). Four (7%, n = 2 PD, 2 APD) leaders identified as underrepresented in medicine. About half (n = 31, 55.4%) completed a fellowship themselves (APDs > PDs; 87.5% vs 42.5%), and 53.5% (n = 30) had advanced nonmedical degrees (eg, Master of Science, Doctor of Philosophy; APDs > PDs; 62% vs 45%). Most leaders (59%, n = 33) chose multiple domains when asked to select a "primary domain of personal scholarship." Education was the most frequently selected (n = 37), followed by quality improvement (n = 29) and then clinical research (n = 19).

CONCLUSIONS

This survey confirms a high percentage of women as PHM fellowship leaders and highlights the need to increase diversity. Less than half of senior PDs completed a fellowship in any specialty. Leaders report interest in multiple domains of scholarship; few focus solely on clinical research.

How Routine are Routine Vital Signs?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Frequent measurement of vital signs has been associated with disruptions to sleep and increased nursing workload. Since vital signs are often measured at the same frequency regardless of patient acuity, there may be inappropriate prioritization of limited resources. We sought to understand what hospitalists report as the default frequency of routine vital sign measurement in hospitalized pediatric patients at academic institutions.

METHODS

We surveyed pediatric hospital medicine leadership at Association of American Medical Colleges-affiliated medical schools on their perception of routine vital signs in general medicine inpatients.

RESULTS

Survey requests were sent to individuals representing 140 unique hospitals. Responses were received from 74 hospitalists, representing a 53% response rate. Routine vitals were most commonly characterized as those collected every 4 hours (78%; 95% confidence interval, 67%-87%), though at least 1 in 5 hospitalists reported obtaining all or select vital signs (eg, blood pressure) less frequently. Strategies to decrease vital sign frequency varied.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest routine vital signs are not a normative concept across all patient populations in pediatrics. We further identify several conditions under which deviation from routines are sanctioned.

How Perceived Burnout Alters Frontline Educators' Assessments in the Clinical Learning Environment

OBJECTIVE

This study explores frontline educators' experience with learner burnout in the clinical learning environment (CLE) and how perceived burnout may impact assessment.

METHODS

A survey was sent to 105 Pediatric Hospital Medicine faculty and fellows at 7 sites across the United States representing diverse CLEs. They were invited to participate in an 11-question web-based survey that was developed, edited, and revised in step-wise fashion. It consisted of 5-point Likert scale, forced-choice, and dichotomous questions. Data from the web-based survey were compiled for descriptive purposes and analyzed for trends.

RESULTS

The response rate was 53%. Most respondents (83%) perceive learner burnout at least once per year, but median comfort in identifying burnout was 3 (scale 1-5, 3 = neutral). Factors associated with comfort were education as primary niche (P = .01) and having wellness training (P = .045). In terms of the impact of perceived learner burnout impacts on assessment, 88% report impact on feedback sessions and 60% reported impact on summative assessment; most are more lenient. Stated belief in whether perceived burnout should or should not impact assessment had 60% sensitivity and 84% specificity in predicting whether it does.

CONCLUSIONS

Frontline educators routinely perceive learner burnout in the CLE and it often impacts educators' assessment of a learner. The discrepancy between the expected and actual impact may suggest amplification of known barriers to accurate assessment in the CLE. Comfort associated with wellness training suggests that interventions targeting frontline educators in the CLE may improve their ability to simultaneously support and assess learners.

Gender Distribution of Scholarship and Measures of National Recognition in Hospital Medicine

OBJECTIVE

Our specific aim was to assess the gender distribution of aspects of scholarly productivity and professional standing for pediatric hospital medicine over a 5-year period. We also evaluated for correlation between the makeup of editorial boards, conference planning committees, and chosen content.

METHODS

We reviewed scholarly publications, presentations, editorial boards, planning committees, awardees, and society leadership in pediatric hospital medicine from 2015 to 2019 and determined gender using published methods to assess for differences between observed proportions of women authors and presenters and the proportion of women in the field.

RESULTS

The field of pediatric hospital medicine at large is 69% women (95% confidence internal [CI] 68%-71%), and an estimated 57% of senior members are women (95% CI 54%-60%). We evaluated 570 original science manuscripts and found 67% (95% CI 63%-71%) women first authors and 49% (95% CI 44%-53%) women senior authors. We evaluated 1093 presentations at national conferences and found 69% (95% CI 65%-72%) women presenters of submitted content and 44% (95% CI 37%-51%) women presenters of invited content. Senior authorship and invited speaking engagements demonstrated disproportionately low representation of women when compared with senior members of the field (senior authorship, P = .002; invited presenters, P < .001). Strong positive correlation between gender composition of conference planning committees and selected content was also noted (r = 0.94).

CONCLUSION

Our study demonstrated representative gender distribution for some aspects of scholarly productivity in pediatric hospital medicine; however, a lack of gender parity exists in senior roles.

Gender equality in academic gastroenterology: a review of gastroenterology literature over four decades

BACKGROUND

Historically males have dominated the physician ranks, although in recent years, there has been an increase in the proportion of female doctors to redress this imbalance. With such attention being paid to gender equality in society, this study aimed to characterise the changing prevalence of female authorship of peer-reviewed published research with in the field of gastroenterology.

AIMS

In order to quantitatively assess the growth of female gastroenterologists, we decided to examine the changing face of gender equality within the field of academic gastroenterology from 1971 to 2010.

METHODS

All research published in the January and July issues of Gastroenterology from 1971 to 2010 was reviewed. The gender of the first author and last author (considered the senior author) of each study was recorded. Research was subsequently categorised by type: basic science research, clinical trials, and epidemiologic research. Data was analysed in 5-year time periods.

RESULTS

Author gender could be identified from a total of 865 abstracts from 80 journal issues. In total, there were 120 (13.8%) female first authors and 91 (10.5%) female senior authors. Female first authorship has tripled since 1995, from 11% (1991-1995) to 32% (2006-2010). Female senior authorship has also tripled since 2000, from 7% (1996-2000) to 24% (2006-2010).

DISCUSSION

Results demonstrated that there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of female authorship of published research in Gastroenterology since 1995. The increasing prevalence of females within the field of academic gastroenterology can therefore be extrapolated to demonstrate the growing numbers of female gastroenterologists in the entire field including clinical and academic gastroenterology.