1
|
Marks IH, Diaz A, Keem M, Ladi-Seyedian SS, Philipo GS, Munir H, Pomerani TI, Sughayer HM, Peter N, Lavy C, Chang DC. Barriers to Women Entering Surgical Careers: A Global Study into Medical Student Perceptions. World J Surg 2020; 44:37-44. [PMID: 31616970 DOI: 10.1007/s00268-019-05199-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [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: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Barriers to female surgeons entering the field are well documented in Australia, the USA and the UK, but how generalizable these problems are to other regions remains unknown. METHODS A cross-sectional survey was developed by the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA)'s Global Surgery Working Group assessing medical students' desire to pursue a surgical career at different stages of their medical degree. The questionnaire also included questions on students' perceptions of their education, resources and professional life. The survey was distributed via IFMSA mailing lists, conferences and social media. Univariate analysis was performed, and statistically significant exposures were added to a multivariate model. This model was then tested in male and female medical students, before a further subset analysis by country World Bank income strata. RESULTS 639 medical students from 75 countries completed the survey. Mentorship [OR 3.42 (CI 2.29-5.12) p = 0.00], the acute element of the surgical specialties [OR 2.22 (CI 1.49-3.29) p = 0.00], academic competitiveness [OR 1.61 (CI 1.07-2.42) p = 0.02] and being from a high or upper-middle-income country (HIC and UMIC) [OR 1.56 (CI 1.021-2.369) p = 0.04] all increased likelihood to be considering a surgical career, whereas perceived access to postgraduate training [OR 0.63 (CI 0.417-0.943) p = 0.03], increased year of study [OR 0.68 (CI 0.57-0.81) p = 0.00] and perceived heavy workload [OR 0.47 (CI 0.31-0.73) p = 0.00] all decreased likelihood to consider a surgical career. Perceived quality of surgical teaching and quality of surgical services in country overall did not affect students' decision to pursue surgery. On subset analysis, perceived poor access to postgraduate training made women 60% less likely to consider a surgical career [OR 0.381 (CI 0.217-0.671) p = 0.00], whilst not showing an effect in the men [OR 1.13 (CI 0.61-2.12) p = 0.70. Concerns about high cost of training halve the likelihood of students from low and low-middle-income countries (LICs and LMICs) considering a surgical career [OR 0.45 (CI 0.25-0.82) p = 0.00] whilst not demonstrating a significant relationship in HIC or UMIC countries. Women from LICs and LMICs were 40% less likely to consider surgical careers than men, when controlling for other factors [OR 0.59 CI (0.342-1.01 p = 0.053]. CONCLUSION Perceived poor access to postgraduate training and heavy workload dissuade students worldwide from considering surgical careers. Postgraduate training in particular appears to be most significant for women and cost of training an additional factor in both women and men from LMICs and LICs. Mentorship remains an important and modifiable factor in influencing student's decision to pursue surgery. Quality of surgical education showed no effect on student decision-making.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- I H Marks
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College, London, UK.
| | - A Diaz
- Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - M Keem
- Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - G S Philipo
- School of International Education, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - H Munir
- Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - T I Pomerani
- Medicine and Surgery, School of Human Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - H M Sughayer
- Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, East Jerusalem, Palestine
| | - N Peter
- Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - C Lavy
- Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - D C Chang
- Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Marks IH, Diaz A, Keem M, Ladi-Seyedian SS, Philipo GS, Munir H, Pomerani TI, Sughayer HM, Peter N, Lavy C, Chang DC. Barriers to Women Entering Surgical Careers: A Global Study into Medical Student Perceptions. World J Surg 2019. [PMID: 31616970 DOI: 10.1007/s00268-019-05199-1.] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Barriers to female surgeons entering the field are well documented in Australia, the USA and the UK, but how generalizable these problems are to other regions remains unknown. METHODS A cross-sectional survey was developed by the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA)'s Global Surgery Working Group assessing medical students' desire to pursue a surgical career at different stages of their medical degree. The questionnaire also included questions on students' perceptions of their education, resources and professional life. The survey was distributed via IFMSA mailing lists, conferences and social media. Univariate analysis was performed, and statistically significant exposures were added to a multivariate model. This model was then tested in male and female medical students, before a further subset analysis by country World Bank income strata. RESULTS 639 medical students from 75 countries completed the survey. Mentorship [OR 3.42 (CI 2.29-5.12) p = 0.00], the acute element of the surgical specialties [OR 2.22 (CI 1.49-3.29) p = 0.00], academic competitiveness [OR 1.61 (CI 1.07-2.42) p = 0.02] and being from a high or upper-middle-income country (HIC and UMIC) [OR 1.56 (CI 1.021-2.369) p = 0.04] all increased likelihood to be considering a surgical career, whereas perceived access to postgraduate training [OR 0.63 (CI 0.417-0.943) p = 0.03], increased year of study [OR 0.68 (CI 0.57-0.81) p = 0.00] and perceived heavy workload [OR 0.47 (CI 0.31-0.73) p = 0.00] all decreased likelihood to consider a surgical career. Perceived quality of surgical teaching and quality of surgical services in country overall did not affect students' decision to pursue surgery. On subset analysis, perceived poor access to postgraduate training made women 60% less likely to consider a surgical career [OR 0.381 (CI 0.217-0.671) p = 0.00], whilst not showing an effect in the men [OR 1.13 (CI 0.61-2.12) p = 0.70. Concerns about high cost of training halve the likelihood of students from low and low-middle-income countries (LICs and LMICs) considering a surgical career [OR 0.45 (CI 0.25-0.82) p = 0.00] whilst not demonstrating a significant relationship in HIC or UMIC countries. Women from LICs and LMICs were 40% less likely to consider surgical careers than men, when controlling for other factors [OR 0.59 CI (0.342-1.01 p = 0.053]. CONCLUSION Perceived poor access to postgraduate training and heavy workload dissuade students worldwide from considering surgical careers. Postgraduate training in particular appears to be most significant for women and cost of training an additional factor in both women and men from LMICs and LICs. Mentorship remains an important and modifiable factor in influencing student's decision to pursue surgery. Quality of surgical education showed no effect on student decision-making.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- I H Marks
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College, London, UK.
| | - A Diaz
- Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - M Keem
- Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - G S Philipo
- School of International Education, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - H Munir
- Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - T I Pomerani
- Medicine and Surgery, School of Human Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - H M Sughayer
- Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, East Jerusalem, Palestine
| | - N Peter
- Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - C Lavy
- Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - D C Chang
- Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Holmer H, Bekele A, Hagander L, Harrison EM, Kamali P, Ng-Kamstra JS, Khan MA, Knowlton L, Leather AJM, Marks IH, Meara JG, Shrime MG, Smith M, Søreide K, Weiser TG, Davies J. Evaluating the collection, comparability and findings of six global surgery indicators. Br J Surg 2018; 106:e138-e150. [PMID: 30570764 PMCID: PMC6790969 DOI: 10.1002/bjs.11061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2018] [Revised: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Background In 2015, six indicators were proposed to evaluate global progress towards access to safe, affordable and timely surgical and anaesthesia care. Although some have been adopted as core global health indicators, none has been evaluated systematically. The aims of this study were to assess the availability, comparability and utility of the indicators, and to present available data and updated estimates. Methods Nationally representative data were compiled for all World Health Organization (WHO) member states from 2010 to 2016 through contacts with official bodies and review of the published and grey literature, and available databases. Availability, comparability and utility were assessed for each indicator: access to timely essential surgery, specialist surgical workforce density, surgical volume, perioperative mortality, and protection against impoverishing and catastrophic expenditure. Where feasible, imputation models were developed to generate global estimates. Results Of all WHO member states, 19 had data on the proportion of the population within 2h of a surgical facility, 154 had data on workforce density, 72 reported number of procedures, and nine had perioperative mortality data, but none could report data on catastrophic or impoverishing expenditure. Comparability and utility were variable, and largely dependent on different definitions used. There were sufficient data to estimate that worldwide, in 2015, there were 2 038 947 (i.q.r. 1 884 916–2 281 776) surgeons, obstetricians and anaesthetists, and 266·1 (95 per cent c.i. 220·1 to 344·4) million operations performed. Conclusion Surgical and anaesthesia indicators are increasingly being adopted by the global health community, but data availability remains low. Comparability and utility for all indicators require further resolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- H Holmer
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Surgery and Public Health, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - A Bekele
- Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.,University of Global Health Equity, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - L Hagander
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Surgery and Public Health, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Department of Paediatric Surgery, Skåne University Hospital Children's Hospital, Lund, Sweden
| | - E M Harrison
- Department of Clinical Surgery, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and Surgical Informatics, Centre for Medical Informatics, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - P Kamali
- Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Medisch Spectrum Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands.,InciSioN, International Student Surgical Network, Leuven, Belgium
| | - J S Ng-Kamstra
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - M A Khan
- InciSioN, International Student Surgical Network, Leuven, Belgium.,CMH Lahore Medical College and Institute of Dentistry, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - L Knowlton
- Department of Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - A J M Leather
- King's Centre for Global Health and Health Partnerships, School of Population Health and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
| | - I H Marks
- Charing Cross Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.,InciSioN, International Student Surgical Network, Leuven, Belgium
| | - J G Meara
- Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.,Department of Plastic and Oral Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, USA
| | - M G Shrime
- Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.,Center for Global Surgery Evaluation, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, USA
| | - M Smith
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Department of General Surgery, Chris Hani Baragwaneth Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - K Søreide
- Department of Clinical Surgery, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and Surgical Informatics, Centre for Medical Informatics, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.,Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - T G Weiser
- Department of Clinical Surgery, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and Surgical Informatics, Centre for Medical Informatics, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Department of Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - J Davies
- King's Centre for Global Health and Health Partnerships, School of Population Health and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK.,Institute for Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.,MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit, School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, Parktown, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|