Female Doctors as Skilled Physicians? ... Lower Surgical Mortality and Complications Compared to Male Doctors

Analysis of Surgery Outcomes for 1.2 Million Canadians
"Early Detection and Communication Skills More Important Than Surgery Itself"

A study has found that patients operated on by female surgeons experience fewer complications and side effects compared to those operated on by male surgeons.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported this on the 30th (local time) citing two papers published that day in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Surgery.

The research team analyzed medical records of 1.2 million patients who underwent common surgeries in Canada from 2007 to 2019. These records included medical complications, readmissions, and postoperative mortality rates.

The above photo is not directly related to the article. [Photo source=Pixabay]

The team followed 25 types of surgeries for one year. Among the 1.2 million surgeries, 151,000 were performed by female surgeons.

The authors observed the prognosis at 90 days and one year after surgery and confirmed that patients operated on by female surgeons experienced fewer postoperative complications, including death.

Within three months after surgery, 13.9% of patients treated by male surgeons experienced major infections, heart attacks, or other postoperative complications. In contrast, only 12.5% of patients treated by female surgeons experienced such complications.

One year after surgery, the risk of complications was 25% for patients operated on by male surgeons, compared to 20.7% for those operated on by female surgeons.

Regarding mortality within 90 days after surgery, 0.8% of patients operated on by male surgeons died, whereas the rate was 0.5% for those operated on by female surgeons.

Overall, patients operated on by female surgeons had a 9% chance of experiencing complications, compared to 10.2% for those operated on by male surgeons.

"Female doctors excel in communication with patients"

[Photo by Pixabay]

Angela Jerath, an associate professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at the University of Toronto and one of the paper's authors, stated about the study results, "Early detection of problems is the very starting point of saving patients." In this regard, female doctors who communicate more with patients have an advantage.

She added that this advantage does not stem from surgical skills alone but begins with listening to patients and choosing appropriate treatments.

The second paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed similar results, although it focused on a narrower scope.

A research team from Mora Hospital in Sweden tracked and analyzed more than 150,500 patients who underwent emergency gallbladder surgery from 2006 to 2019.

The results showed that female doctors examined patients much more carefully, resulting in fewer postoperative complications. The average surgery time for female surgeons was 100 minutes, while male surgeons averaged only 89 minutes.

Even after considering various factors, patients of male surgeons experienced nearly 30% more postoperative complications such as bleeding, bowel or colon perforation, bile duct disorders, intestinal leakage, and nerve paralysis compared to those operated on by female doctors.

Patients operated on by male surgeons had hospital stays 28% longer than those operated on by female surgeons, and the probability of bleeding complications was 66% higher.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.