Patients treated by female surgeons ‘fare better’ – study

Patients operated on by female surgeons “fare better” than those treated by men, according to a new study.

Post-operation death rates were lower in patients treated by female physicians, experts found.

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”.

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.

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.

They found that 90 days after an operation, 13.9% of patients treated by a male surgeon had “adverse post-operative events”, compared with 12.5% treated by women.

A year after surgery, adverse events were seen in 20.7% of patients operated on by female surgeons compared with 25% treated by men.

Meanwhile, three months after surgery 0.5% of patients treated by women had died compared with 0.8% of patients operated on by male surgeons.

“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.”