Patients treated by female surgeons ‘fare better’ – study

These patients were also less likely to be readmitted to hospital or suffer other surgery-linked complications, according to the study by researchers from Canada and the US.

Academics said the findings “add to the growing literature showing that patients cared for by female physicians (including surgeons) appear to fare better than those being cared for by male physicians”.

The new study, published in the journal JAMA Surgery, included data on more than a million adult patients who had been given surgery in Ontario, Canada.

Some 151,054 were treated by a female surgeon and 1,014,657 by a male surgeon.

Researchers examined “post-operative outcomes” – including death rates, hospital readmissions and complications – among patients at 90 days post operation and again a year after their surgery.

Overall 14.3% suffered one or more “adverse post-operative outcomes” after 90 days.

This rose to 25% in the year following surgery.

Two percent of patients died within 90 days and 4.3% died within a year.

The researchers found that patients treated by a female surgeon were less likely to die and had reduced odds of hospital readmission, or major medical complication at 90 days or one year after surgery.

“In this large population-based cohort study, patients treated by female surgeons had significantly lower long-term (90-day and one-year) rates of adverse postoperative outcomes than those treated by male surgeons,” the authors wrote.

“These data add to the growing literature showing that patients cared for by female physicians (including surgeons) appear to fare better than those being cared for by male physicians. Despite these data, women continue to be marginalised in the workplace in many ways.

“To provide the best patient care, organisations should support women physicians and learn how they accomplish these improved outcomes.”