A 12-Year North American Longitudinal Study of Gender Equity and Equality in Gastroenterology

Perceptions regarding the impact of gender on training and career advancement among gastroenterologists in India and other South Asian countries

BACKGROUND

There are limited studies on the impact of gender on training and career advancement in gastroenterology.

AIM

The aim was to study this impact and understand the perceptions of work-life balance and beliefs regarding gender dynamics among gastroenterologists in India and other South Asian countries.

METHODS

A web-based survey was conducted among trainees and attending physicians in South Asia from November 15, 2021, to March 30, 2022. The survey instrument had four components: demographic features, training, career advancement and work-life balance.

RESULTS

As many as 622 gastroenterologists completed the survey, of which 467 responses were from India (mean age: 41.1 years; females: 11.5%). A higher proportion of female respondents from India believed that gender bias in recruiting and training had negatively impacted their careers (40.7% females vs. 1.5% males). Radiation hazard for fertility (11.1% females vs. 1.9% males, p < 0.001) and as a health concern (14.8% females vs. 5.1% males, p = 0.005) were significant career deterrents for females. A higher proportion of female participants from India faced a career interruption (59.3% females vs. 30.3% males, p ≤ 0.001). Common reasons were pregnancy (37%) and childcare provision (25.9%). More females believed that women were more productive than men (40.8% females vs. 16.9% males, p < 0.001) and that a salary gap existed (44.7% females vs. 29.1% males, p < 0.001). The incidence of self-perceived burnout was 63% among females and 51.6% among males (p = 0.115).

CONCLUSION

Gender-related factors impact the training and career of female gastroenterologists.

Award Recipients for Pediatric Gastroenterology: A Descriptive Analysis of Gender Distribution

Society awards are an important component of recognition in medicine and for career advancement such as promotion. Multiple studies conducted in pediatrics and gastroenterology have shown underrepresentation of women awardees even in fields with a higher proportion of women than men. To our knowledge, no such studies have been conducted in pediatric gastroenterology. We hypothesized that among all recipients, women would be underrepresented when compared to men and that women were more likely to be given teaching awards compared to other career achievement awards. We collected data on recipients of major recognition award presented by The North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition from 1987 to 2022. We found that 80.90% of the awards had been given to men and that most nominators were men. This study highlights inequities in women recipients for major awards and presents an opportunity for a call for action to examine and address the factors contributing to this gender inequity.

Procedural and anthropometric factors associated with musculoskeletal injuries among gastroenterology endoscopists

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries among gastroenterologists are common. Our study describes risk factors and consequences of injury by comparing provider-specific anthropometric and objective procedural data to self-reported injury patterns.

METHODS

A validated MSK symptom survey was sent to gastroenterologists to gauge prevalence, distribution, and severity of active injury. Respondents' procedural activities over 7 years were collected via an endoscopic database.

RESULTS

64 surveys were completed. 54 respondents had active pain; 53.1% reported activity-limiting injury. Activity-limiting injuries lead to longer colonoscopy times (25.3 vs. 22.1 min, P = 0.03) and lower procedural volumes (532 vs. 807, P = 0.01). Hand/wrist injuries yielded longer colonoscopy insertion times (9.35 vs. 8.21 min, P = 0.03) and less hands-on scope hours (81.2 vs. 111.7 h, P = 0.04). Higher esophagogastroduodenoscopy volume corelated with shoulder injury (336.5 vs. 243.1 EGDs/year, P = 0.04). Females had more foot injuries (P = 0.04).

CONCLUSION

Activity-limiting MSK symptoms/injuries affect over 50% of endoscopists with negative impact on procedural volume and efficiency.