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Jerath A, Satkunasivam R, Kaneshwaran K, Aminoltejari K, Chang A, MacDonell DSY, Kealey A, Ladowski S, Sarmah A, Flexman AM, Lorello GR, Nabecker S, Coburn N, Conn LG, Klaassen Z, Ranganathan S, Riveros C, McCartney CJL, Detsky AS, Wallis CJD. Association Between Anesthesiologist Sex and Patients' Postoperative Outcomes: A Population-based Cohort Study. Ann Surg 2024; 279:569-574. [PMID: 38264927 DOI: 10.1097/sla.0000000000006217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine the association of anesthesiologist sex on postoperative outcomes. BACKGROUND Differences in patient postoperative outcomes exist, depending on whether the primary surgeon is male or female, with better outcomes seen among patients treated by female surgeons. Whether the intraoperative anesthesiologist's sex is associated with differential postoperative patient outcomes is unknown. METHODS We performed a population-based, retrospective cohort study among adult patients undergoing one of 25 common elective or emergent surgical procedures from 2007 to 2019 in Ontario, Canada. We assessed the association between the sex of the intraoperative anesthesiologist and the primary end point of the adverse postoperative outcome, defined as death, readmission, or complication within 30 days after surgery, using generalized estimating equations. RESULTS Among 1,165,711 patients treated by 3006 surgeons and 1477 anesthesiologists, 311,822 (26.7%) received care from a female anesthesiologist and 853,889 (73.3%) from a male anesthesiologist. Overall, 10.8% of patients experienced one or more adverse postoperative outcomes, of whom 1.1% died. Multivariable adjusted rates of the composite primary end point were higher among patients treated by male anesthesiologists (10.6%) compared with female anesthesiologists (10.4%; adjusted odds ratio 1.02, 95% CI: 1.00-1.05, P =0.048). CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated a significant association between sex of the intraoperative anesthesiologist and patient short-term outcomes after surgery in a large cohort study. This study supports the growing literature of improved patient outcomes among female practitioners. The underlying mechanisms of why outcomes differ between male and female physicians remain elusive and require further in-depth study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Jerath
- Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- ICES, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Raj Satkunasivam
- Department of Urology, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX
- Center for Outcomes Research, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX
- Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Kirusanthy Kaneshwaran
- Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Khatereh Aminoltejari
- Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ashton Chang
- Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - D Su-Yin MacDonell
- Department of Anesthesiology, St. Paul's Hospital/Providence Health Care, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Alayne Kealey
- Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Stephanie Ladowski
- Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Anita Sarmah
- Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Alana M Flexman
- Department of Anesthesiology, St. Paul's Hospital/Providence Health Care, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Gianni R Lorello
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management, University Health Network - Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
- The Wilson Centre, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Sabine Nabecker
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Natalie Coburn
- Department of Surgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lesley G Conn
- Department of Surgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Zachary Klaassen
- Division of Urology, Medical College of Georgia - Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Carlos Riveros
- Department of Urology, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX
| | - Colin J L McCartney
- Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Allan S Detsky
- Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital and University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Christopher J D Wallis
- Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Surgery, Division of Urology, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Surgical Oncology, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Matava CT, Alam F, Kealey A, Bahrey LA, McCreath GA, Walsh CM. The influence of resident and faculty gender on assessments in anesthesia competency-based medical education. Can J Anaesth 2023; 70:978-987. [PMID: 37165126 PMCID: PMC10171726 DOI: 10.1007/s12630-023-02454-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 05/12/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Competency-based medical education (CBME) relies on frequent workplace-based assessments of trainees, providing opportunities for conscious and implicit biases to reflect in these assessments. We aimed to examine the influence of resident and faculty gender on performance ratings of residents within a CBME system. METHODS This retrospective cohort study took place from August 2017 to January 2021 using resident assessment data from two workplace-based assessments: the Anesthesia Clinical Encounter Assessment (ACEA) and Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs). Self-reported gender data were also extracted. The primary outcome-gender-based differences in entrustment ratings of residents on the ACEA and EPAs-was evaluated using mixed-effects logistic regression, with differences reported through odds ratios and confidence intervals (α = 0.01). Gender-based differences in the receipt of free-text comments on the ACEA and EPAs were also explored. RESULTS In total, 14,376 ACEA and 4,467 EPA assessments were analyzed. There were no significant differences in entrustment ratings on either assessment tool between men and women residents. Regardless of whether assessments were completed by men or women faculty, entrustment rates between men and women residents were not significantly different for any postgraduate year level. Additionally, men and women residents received strengths-related and actions-related comments on both assessments at comparable frequencies, irrespective of faculty gender. CONCLUSION We found no gender-based differences in entrustment ratings for both the ACEA and EPAs, which suggests an absence of resident gender bias within this CBME system. Given considerable heterogeneity in rater leniency, future work would be strengthened by using rater leniency-adjusted scores rather than raw scores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clyde T Matava
- Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada.
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- SickKids Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Fahad Alam
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Anesthesia, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Alayne Kealey
- Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lisa A Bahrey
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Anesthesia, University Health Network-Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Graham A McCreath
- SickKids Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Catharine M Walsh
- SickKids Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Paediatrics, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- The Wilson Centre, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Kealey A, Alam F, McCreath G, Matava CT, Bahrey LA, Walsh CM. Real-world impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the assessment of anaesthesiology residents. Br J Anaesth 2020; 125:e430-e432. [PMID: 32896430 PMCID: PMC7440277 DOI: 10.1016/j.bja.2020.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alayne Kealey
- Department of Anesthesia, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Fahad Alam
- Department of Anesthesia, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; The Wilson Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Graham McCreath
- SickKids Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Clyde T Matava
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; SickKids Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lisa A Bahrey
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Anesthesia, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Catharine M Walsh
- The Wilson Centre, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; SickKids Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada; Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Department of Paediatrics, Toronto, ON, Canada; SickKids Learning Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
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