A study published Dec. 8 in JAMA Surgery found that both men and women had an increased risk of death when their surgeries were performed by men, with women experiencing worse outcomes overall with male surgeons.
Here are five findings:
1. The study was conducted by U.S. and Canadian researchers, who analyzed more than 1.3 million patients in Ontario treated by more than 2,900 surgeons between 2007 and 2019.
2. The cohort included adult patients who underwent one of 21 common elective or emergent surgical procedures.
3. Female patients treated by male surgeons had 15 percent greater odds of worse outcomes than female patients treated by female surgeons.
4. Researchers found that women operated on by male surgeons had a 32 percent increased risk of death, 16 percent increase in major complications and 11 percent increase in 30-day readmissions, compared to women operated on by female surgeons.
5. Men operated on by male surgeons had a 13 percent increase in death compared to men treated by female surgeons, though other metrics with male patients showed similar numbers among both male and female surgeons.