Populations in the developed world are ageing and their surgeons are no exception. Accurate vision is essential for the surgeon to operate effectively, yet optimal vision has an expiry date in advancing age. This review examines the effects of ageing on the eye with particular focus on the visual changes of significance to senior surgeons who currently account for 20%-25% of the surgeon workforce. The major age-related diseases of the eye, which include cataracts, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, are surmised; together with physiologic ocular changes that accompany normal ageing, including loss of accommodation (presbyopia), reduced pupil size (senile miosis), reduced contrast sensitivity, and impaired binocular vision, amongst others. The aforementioned conditions may impair operative visualisation in the elderly surgeon and potentially impact surgical performance. Strategies and available technologies that support operative visualisation-particularly magnification aids, illumination systems and fluorescent dyes in surgery-are appraised with consideration to the senior surgeon who may be affected by the aforementioned visual changes associated with ageing. To inform minimum standards of visual function for safe surgical practice, future prospective studies are needed which report on individual surgeon-related measures of visual function together with postoperative outcomes. This vein of future research will allow for an evidence-based evaluation of proposed safety measures for which the data are currently lacking, thereby providing clarity regarding whether requisite age-based visual assessments improve surgical outcomes, and if so, at what age and frequency should such evaluations take place.

Surgical learning is a complex process that involves resident characteristics, instructional methods, and technological tools. As surgical residency programs become more diverse, there is a growing need for adaptable training methods that align with various learning styles and backgrounds. Manual dexterity and self-assessment skills are essential for residents, and recent studies highlight those residents with refined manual skills perform better in surgery. Preoperative warm-up is emerging as a potential strategy to improve immediate surgical performance. The study aimed to analyze whether preoperative warm-up in low-cost surgical simulators (training boxes) is related to an immediate improvement in the intraoperative performance of general surgery residents inexperienced in laparoscopy.

The study used a swine model for surgical simulations in a controlled training environment. 105 first-year general surgery residents were divided into 2 groups: the control group (performed procedures without warm-up) and the intervention group (performed a 10-minute preoperative warm-up using a training box).

The Intervention group demonstrated improved efficiency in cholecystectomy (2.97 ± 0.4 vs 2.41 ± 0.91, p = 0.03), with reductions of 41.5% in cholecystectomy dissection time (4.82 ± 4.94 vs 8.23 ± 5.15 minutes, p = 0.02) and 15.6% in left radical nephrectomy dissection time (13.03 ± 4.49 vs 16.77 ± 3.90 minutes, p = 0.012).

Preoperative warm-up using a training box significantly improved the qualitative and quantitative surgical performance of general surgery residents with no prior laparoscopic experience, particularly by increasing efficiency in cholecystectomy and reducing dissection times in both cholecystectomy and left radical nephrectomy.

Evidence suggests that physician gender and patient-physician gender concordance have the potential to improve patient outcomes, especially for female patients. However, whether long-term outcomes differ by surgeon gender and patient-surgeon gender concordance has not been studied in the US.

To compare long-term postoperative outcomes by surgeon gender and patient-surgeon gender concordance.

A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted based on 100% Medicare fee-for-service claims data from 2016 through 2019. Data analysis was performed between October 17, 2023, and January 28, 2025. The study took place at acute care hospitals in the US. Participants included Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 65 to 99 years who underwent 1 of 14 elective or emergent surgeries.

Surgeon gender and patient-surgeon gender concordance.

Ninety-day and 1-year postoperative mortality, readmission, and complication rates were compared by surgeon gender and patient-surgeon gender concordance. The study team adjusted for patient and surgeon characteristics and hospital fixed effects, effectively comparing patients within the same hospital.

Among 2 288 279 patients who underwent surgery, 129 528 were operated on by female surgeons (5.7%) and 2 158 751 were by male surgeons (94.3%). Patients treated by female surgeons experienced a lower long-term mortality rate compared with those treated by male surgeons (adjusted 90-day mortality rates, 2.6% for female surgeons vs 3.0% for male surgeons; adjusted risk difference [aRD], -0.3 percentage points [pp]; 95% CI, -0.5 pp to -0.2 pp; P < .001), similarly for both female and male patients. For female patients, the patient-surgeon gender concordance was associated with lower long-term readmission (adjusted 90-day readmission rates, 7.3% vs 7.7%; aRD, -0.4 pp; 95% CI, -0.7 pp to -0.2 pp; P = .001) and complication rates (adjusted 90-day complication rates, 12.2% vs 12.8%; aRD, -0.5 pp; 95% CI, -0.9 pp to -0.2 pp; P = .005). For male patients, long-term readmission and complication rates did not differ between patients treated by female vs male surgeons. Similar patterns were found between 90-day and 1-year patient outcomes.

In this study, both female and male patients treated by female surgeons experienced lower long-term postoperative mortality rates compared with those treated by male surgeons. Patient-surgeon gender concordance was associated with lower long-term readmission and complication rates for female patients, but not for male patients. These patterns were observed only for elective procedures and may not be generalizable to other populations, such as younger patients.

There is a paucity of data comparing patient-reported outcomes across surgeon age. Prior work has focused on adverse event rates for surgeon age across a variety of surgical procedures.

To compare patient-reported outcomes, expectation fulfillment, and satisfaction measures after spine surgery across surgeon age categories.

This retrospective cohort study was conducted at multicentered tertiary referral centers across Canada. Patients with degenerative conditions of the spine were enrolled in a national research network from January 2015 to August 2020. Patients were linked to a demographic survey distributed to spine surgeons who enrolled the patients. Elective surgery for degenerative spine conditions were followed up for a minimum of 1 year after operation. The data were analyzed in January 2024.

Surgeons were classified according to their age: younger (age 35-44 years), middle age (45-59 years), and older (≥60 years).

The primary outcomes were the Ostwestry Disability Index (ODI) and Neck Disability Index (NDI), numerical pain scores, expectation fulfillment, and overall satisfaction with spine surgery. Baseline demographic and clinical data and surgical procedure complexity were collected. Multivariate logistic regression models were employed, using generalized estimating equations to account for clustering within surgeons, to compare patient outcomes, expectation fulfillment, and satisfaction by surgeon age.

A total of 3421 patients (1236 [36.1%] aged 65 years or older; 1603 female [46.9%]) were included in the study for analysis, with 811 (23.7%) treated by younger surgeons, 1643 (48.0%) by middle-age surgeons, and 967 (28.3%) by older surgeons. There were 2857 procedures of the lumbar spine (83.5%). After accounting for patient demographic, clinical, surgical, and surgeon characteristics, there were no significant differences in disability and pain (ODI and NDI or pain score) at 12 months among younger (mean ODI and NDI score, 25.6; 95% CI, 24.3-26.9; mean pain score, 3.4; 95% CI, 3.2-3.6), middle-age (mean ODI and NDI score, 25.8; 95% CI, 24.9-26.8; mean pain score, 3.3; 95% CI, 3.2-3.4), and older (mean ODI and NDI score, 24.6; 95% CI, 23.4-25.8; mean pain score, 3.4; 95% CI, 3.2-3.6) surgeons. Patients treated by younger (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.57; 95% CI, 1.02-2.40) and middle-age (aOR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.06-1.86) surgeons reported having all their expectations fulfilled compared with older surgeons. Additionally, patients treated by younger surgeons reported higher satisfaction levels (aOR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.01-1.69) compared with middle-aged and older surgeons.

In this retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent elective spine surgery, there was no difference in outcomes by surgeon age at 1 year, but patients treated by younger surgeons reported higher levels of satisfaction and expectation fulfillment. These findings suggest that spine surgeons of all ages are a valuable resource given similar patient outcomes for all groups.

To examine the association of patient-surgeon racial and ethnic concordance with postoperative outcomes among older adults treated by surgeons with California medical licences.

Retrospective cohort study.

US acute care and critical access hospitals in 2016-2019.

100% Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 65-99 years who underwent one of 14 common surgical procedures (abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, appendectomy, coronary artery bypass grafting, cholecystectomy, colectomy, cystectomy, hip replacement, hysterectomy, knee replacement, laminectomy, liver resection, lung resection, prostatectomy and thyroidectomy), who were operated on by surgeons with self-reported race and ethnicity (21.4% of surgeons) in the Medical Board of California database. We focused our primary analysis on black and Hispanic beneficiaries.

The outcomes assessed included (1) patient postoperative 30-day mortality, defined as death within 30 days after surgery including during the index hospitalisation, (2) 30-day readmission and (3) length of stay. We adjusted for patient, physician and hospital characteristics.

Among 1858 black and 4146 Hispanic patients treated by 746 unique surgeons (67 black, 98 Hispanic and 590 white surgeons; includes surgeons who selected multiple backgrounds), 977 (16.3%) patients were treated by a racially or ethnically concordant surgeon. Hispanic patients treated by concordant surgeons had lower 30-day readmission (adjusted readmission rate, 4.2% for concordant vs 6.6% for discordant dyad; adjusted risk difference, -2.4 percentage points (pp); 95% CI, -4.3 to -0.5 pp; p=0.014) and length of stay (adjusted length of stay, 4.1 d vs 4.6 days (d); adjusted difference, -0.5 d; 95% CI, -0.8 to -0.2 d; p=0.003) than those treated by discordant surgeons. We found no evidence that patient-surgeon racial and ethnic concordance was associated with surgical outcomes among black patients or mortality among Hispanic patients.

Patient-surgeon racial and ethnic concordance was associated with a lower postoperative readmission rate and length of stay for Hispanic patients. Increasing Hispanic surgeon representation may contribute to narrowing of racial and ethnic disparities in surgical outcomes.

To examine the association between surgeon gender and early postoperative complications, including 30-day death and readmission, in elective surgery.

Variations between male and female surgeon practice patterns may be a source of bias and gender inequality in the surgical field, perhaps impacting the quality of care. However, there are limited and conflicting studies regarding the association between surgeon gender and postoperative outcomes.

MEDLINE and Embase were searched in October 2023 for observational studies, including patients who underwent elective surgery requiring general or regional anesthesia across multiple surgical specialties. Multiple independent blinded reviewers oversaw the data selection, extraction, and quality assessment according to the PRISMA, MOOSE, and Newcastle Ottawa Scale guidelines. Data were pooled as odds ratios, using a generic inverse-variance random-effects model.

Of 944 abstracts screened, 11 studies were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. A total of 4,440,740 postoperative patients were assessed for a composite primary outcome of mortality, readmission, and other complications within 30 days of elective surgery, with a total of 325,712 (7.3%) surgeries performed by 7072 (10.9%) female surgeons. There was no association between surgeon gender and the composite of mortality, readmission, and/or complications (odds ratio=0.97, 95% CI 0.95-1.00; I2 =64.9%; P =0.001).

These results support that surgeon gender is not associated with early postoperative outcomes, including mortality, readmission, or other complications in elective surgery. These findings encourage patients, health care providers, and stakeholders not to consider surgeon gender as a risk factor for postoperative complications.

Some prior studies have found that patients treated by female physicians may experience better outcomes, as well as lower healthcare costs than those treated by male physicians. Physician-patient sex concordance may also contribute to better patient outcomes. However, other studies have not identified a significant difference. There is a paucity of pooled evidence examining the association of physician sex with clinical outcomes.

This random-effects meta-analysis was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines and prospectively registered on PROSPERO. MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched from inception to October 4th, 2023, and supplemented by a hand-search of relevant studies. Observational studies enrolling adults (≥ 18 years of age) and assessing the effect of physician sex across surgical and medical specialties were included. The risk of bias was assessed using ROBINS-I. A priori subgroup analysis was conducted based on patient type (surgical versus medical). All-cause mortality was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included complications, hospital readmission, and length of stay.

Across 35 (n = 13,404,840) observational studies, 20 (n = 8,915,504) assessed the effect of surgeon sex while the remaining 15 (n = 4,489,336) focused on physician sex in medical/anesthesia care. Fifteen studies were rated as having a moderate risk of bias, with 15 as severe, and 5 as critical. Mortality was significantly lower among patients of female versus male physicians (OR 0.95; 95% CI: 0.93 to 0.97; PQ = 0.13; I2 = 26%), which remained consistent among surgeon and non-surgeon physicians (Pinteraction = 0.60). No significant evidence of publication bias was detected (PEgger = 0.08). There was significantly lower hospital readmission among patients receiving medical/anesthesia care from female physicians (OR 0.97; 95% CI: 0.96 to 0.98). In a qualitative synthesis of 9 studies (n = 7,163,775), patient-physician sex concordance was typically associated with better outcomes, especially among female patients of female physicians.

Patients treated by female physicians experienced significantly lower odds of mortality, along with fewer hospital readmissions, versus those with male physicians. Further work is necessary to examine these effects in other care contexts across different countries and understand underlying mechanisms and long-term outcomes to optimize health outcomes for all patients.

PROSPERO - CRD42023463577.

The number of female doctors is increasing worldwide, but the percentage of female general surgeons and gastrointestinal surgeons remains low, at only 6% in Japan. Furthermore, in rural areas, the number of doctors is small and training opportunities are limited, and training in surgical techniques is reportedly inadequate compared with urban areas. This study examined the current status and surgical outcomes of colorectal cancer surgery by surgeon sex using a multicenter database in a Japanese rural area.

We retrospectively reviewed 3440 consecutive patients who underwent laparoscopic colorectal surgery in six participating hospitals between April 2016 and March 2023. Clinical and perioperative outcomes were compared between patients who underwent surgery by a male surgeon (M group; n = 3142) or by a female surgeon (F group; n = 298).

Years of experience as a doctor was significantly shorter (M group vs. F group: 12 years vs. 9 years, p < 0.001), frequency of participation of an expert surgeon was higher (79.9% vs. 89.9%, p = 0.038), frequency of preoperative treatment was lower (8.2% vs. 2.3%, p < 0.001), clinical T status was lower (p = 0.011), and re-operation rate was lower (3.1% vs. 1.0%, p = 0.045) in the F group. Multivariate analysis of clinical factors predicting postoperative severe complications revealed comorbidities (odds ratio 1.442, 95% confidence interval 1.045-1.990, p = 0.025) as an independent predictor of severe postoperative complications but not the presence of a female surgeon.

Female surgeons in our study achieved comparable short-term outcomes to male surgeons, including for laparoscopic procedures. Establishing an educational system in rural areas could provide improved surgical techniques.

To compare clinical outcomes of patients treated by female surgeons versus those treated by male surgeons.

It remains unclear as to whether surgical performance and outcomes differ between female and male surgeons.

We conducted a meta-analysis to compare patients' clinical outcomes-including patients' postoperative mortality, readmission, and complication rates-between female versus male surgeons. MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, ICTRP, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception to September 8, 2022. The update search was conducted on July 19, 2023. We used random-effects models to synthesize data and GRADE to evaluate the certainty.

A total of 15 retrospective cohort studies provided data on 5,448,121 participants. We found that patients treated by female surgeons experienced a lower postoperative mortality compared with patients treated by male surgeons [8 studies; adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 0.93; 95% CI, 0.88-0.97; I2 =27%; moderate certainty of the evidence]. We found a similar pattern for both elective and nonelective (emergent or urgent) surgeries, although the difference was larger for elective surgeries (test for subgroup difference P =0.003). We found no evidence that female and male surgeons differed for patient readmission (3 studies; aOR, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.83-1.74; I2 =92%; very low certainty of the evidence) or complication rates (8 studies; aOR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.88-1.01; I2 =38%; very low certainty of the evidence).

This systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that patients treated by female surgeons have a lower mortality compared with those treated by male surgeons.

Background The effect of surgeons' years of experience on the outcomes of acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) repair has not yet been studied. This study aimed to evaluate the association between the surgeon's years in practice and the outcomes of ATAAD repair. Methods Surgical records of ATAAD repairs performed at Saga University Hospital between 2004 and 2020 were reviewed. Surgeons were divided into two groups based on their surgical experience: late-career surgeons (LCSs) and early-career surgeons (ECSs) with ≥16 years and <16 of practice, respectively. The surgeons were designated as the primary surgeons or first assistants and grouped as follows: LCS-LCS, LCS-ECS, ECS-LCS, and ECS-ECS. Results During the study period, 25 primary surgeons performed 203 ATAAD repairs with 31 different first assistants: LCS-LCS, 50 repairs; LCS-ECS, 82 repairs; ECS-LCS, 55 repairs; and ECS-ECS, 16 repairs. The mean years in practice as a primary surgeon was 19.8 ± 3.3 for LCSs and 13.0 ± 1.8 for ECSs (p < 0.01). The unadjusted in-hospital mortality rates were 10.0%, 12.2%, 5.5%, and 6.3% for the LCS-LCS, LCS-ECS, ECS-LCS, and ECS-ECS groups, respectively (p = 0.63). Multivariable regression analysis showed that the surgeon's years of experience in practice were not a risk factor for in-hospital mortality. Furthermore, the long-term survival rate did not differ between the groups (p = 0.62). Conclusions The surgeons' years in practice had no effect on the outcomes of ATAAD repair. These investigations could aid in on-call coverage for ATAAD in medium-sized centers.

Patient-physician sex discordance (when patient sex does not match physician sex) has been associated with reduced clinical rapport and adverse outcomes including post-operative mortality and unplanned hospital readmission. It remains unknown whether patient-physician sex discordance is associated with "before medically advised" hospital discharge (BMA discharge; commonly known as discharge "against medical advice").

To evaluate whether patient-physician sex discordance is associated with BMA discharge.

Retrospective cohort study using 15 years (2002-2017) of linked population-based administrative health data for all non-elective, non-obstetrical acute care hospitalizations from British Columbia, Canada.

All individuals with eligible hospitalizations during study interval.

Exposure: patient-physician sex discordance.

BMA discharge (primary), 30-day hospital readmission or death (secondary).

We identified 1,926,118 eligible index hospitalizations, 2.6% of which ended in BMA discharge. Among male patients, sex discordance was associated with BMA discharge (crude rate, 4.0% vs 2.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.08; 95%CI 1.03-1.14; p = 0.003). Among female patients, sex discordance was not associated with BMA discharge (crude rate, 2.0% vs 2.3%; aOR 1.02; 95%CI 0.96-1.08; p = 0.557). Compared to patient-physician sex discordance, younger patient age, prior substance use, and prior BMA discharge all had stronger associations with BMA discharge.

Patient-physician sex discordance was associated with a small increase in BMA discharge among male patients. This finding may reflect communication gaps, differences in the care provided by male and female physicians, discriminatory attitudes among male patients, or residual confounding. Improved communication and better treatment of pain and opioid withdrawal may reduce BMA discharge.

The objective of this study was to measure potential associations between surgeon sex and number of days alive and at home (DAH).

Patients treated by female surgeons appear to have lower rates of mortality, complications, readmissions, and healthcare costs when compared with male surgeons. DAH is a validated measure, shown to better capture the patient experience of postoperative recovery.

We conducted a retrospective study of adults (≥18 years of age) undergoing common surgeries between January 01, 2007 and December 31, 2019 in Ontario, Canada. The outcome measures were the number of DAH within 30-, 90-, and 365-days. The data was summarized using descriptive statistics and adjusted using multivariable generalized estimating equations.

During the study period, 1,165,711 individuals were included, of which 61.9% (N = 721,575) were female. Those managed by a female surgeon experienced a higher mean number of DAH when compared with male surgeons at 365 days (351.7 vs. 342.1 days; P < 0.001) and at each earlier time point. This remained consistent following adjustment for covariates, with patients of female surgeons experiencing a higher number of DAH at all time points, including at 365 days (343.2 [339.5-347.1] vs. 339.4 [335.9-343.0] days). Multivariable regression modeling revealed that patients of male surgeons had a significantly lower number of DAH versus female surgeons.

Patients of female surgeons experienced a higher number of DAH when compared with those treated by male surgeons at all time points. More time spent at home after surgery may in turn lower costs of care, resource utilization, and potentially improve quality of life. Further studies are needed to examine these findings across other care contexts.

This study aimed to evaluate the association of surgeon self-reported gender on clinical outcomes in contemporary US surgical practice.

Previous research has suggested that there are potentially improved surgical outcomes for female surgeons, yet the underlying causal path for this association remains unclear.

Using the Vizient Clinical Database(2016-2021), 39 operations categorized by the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network were analyzed. The surgeon self-reported gender as the primary exposure. The primary outcome was a composite of in-hospital death, complications, and/or 30-day readmission. Multivariable logistic regression and propensity score matching were used for risk adjustment.

The analysis included 4,882,784 patients operated on by 11,955 female surgeons (33% of surgeons performing 21% of procedures) and 23,799 male surgeons (67% of surgeons performing 79% of procedures). Female surgeons were younger (45±9 vs males-53±11 y; P <0.0001) and had lower operative volumes. Unadjusted incidence of the primary outcome was 13.6%(10.7%-female surgeons, 14.3%-male surgeons; P <0.0001). After propensity matching, the primary outcome occurred in 13.0% of patients [12.9%-female, 13.0%-male; OR (M vs. F)=1.02, 95% CI: 1.01-1.03; P =0.001), with female surgeons having small statistical associations with lower mortality and complication rates but not readmissions. Procedure-specific analyses revealed inconsistent or no surgeon-gender associations.

In the largest analysis to date, surgeon self-reported gender had a small statistical, clinically marginal correlation with postoperative outcomes. The variation across surgical specialties and procedures suggests that the association with surgeon gender is unlikely causal for the observed differences in outcomes. Patients should be reassured that surgeon gender alone does not have a clinically meaningful impact on their outcome.

Team diversity is recognized not only as an equity issue but also a catalyst for improved performance through diversity in knowledge and practices. However, team diversity data in healthcare are limited and it is not known whether it may affect outcomes in surgery. This study examined the association between anaesthesia-surgery team sex diversity and postoperative outcomes.

This was a population-based retrospective cohort study of adults undergoing major inpatient procedures between 2009 and 2019. The exposure was the hospital percentage of female anaesthetists and surgeons in the year of surgery. The outcome was 90-day major morbidity. Restricted cubic splines were used to identify a clinically meaningful dichotomization of team sex diversity, with over 35% female anaesthetists and surgeons representing higher diversity. The association with outcomes was examined using multivariable logistic regression.

Of 709 899 index operations performed at 88 hospitals, 90-day major morbidity occurred in 14.4%. The median proportion of female anaesthetists and surgeons was 28 (interquartile range 25-31)% per hospital per year. Care in hospitals with higher sex diversity (over 35% female) was associated with reduced odds of 90-day major morbidity (OR 0.97, 95% c.i. 0.95 to 0.99; P = 0.02) after adjustment. The magnitude of this association was greater for patients treated by female anaesthetists (OR 0.92, 0.88 to 0.97; P = 0.002) and female surgeons (OR 0.83, 0.76 to 0.90; P < 0.001).

Care in hospitals with greater anaesthesia-surgery team sex diversity was associated with better postoperative outcomes. Care in a hospital reaching a critical mass with over 35% female anaesthetists and surgeons, representing higher team sex-diversity, was associated with a 3% lower odds of 90-day major morbidity.

The Centers for Disease Control defines work-related musculoskeletal disorders as disorders of the nerves, muscles, tendons, joints, spinal discs, and cartilage that are caused or exacerbated by the environment or nature of work. Previous meta-analyses have characterized work-related musculoskeletal disorders among interventionists, general surgeons, and other surgical subspecialties, but prevalence estimates, prognosis, and ergonomic considerations vary by study and surgical specialty.

(1) What is the career prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in orthopaedic surgeons? (2) What is the treatment prevalence associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders in orthopaedic surgeons? (3) What is the disability burden of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in orthopaedic surgeons? (4) What is the scope of orthopaedic surgical ergonomic assessments and interventions?

A systematic review of English-language studies from PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus was performed in December 2022 and reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Studies that presented prevalence estimates of work-related musculoskeletal disorders or assessed surgical ergonomics in orthopaedic surgery were included. Reviews, case reports, gray literature (conference abstracts and preprints), and studies with mixed-surgeon (nonorthopaedic) populations were excluded. The search yielded 5603 abstracts; 24 survey-based studies with 4876 orthopaedic surgeons (mean age 48 years; 79% of surgeons were men) were included for an analysis of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, and 18 articles were included for a descriptive synthesis of ergonomic assessment. Quality assessment using the Joanna Briggs Institute Tool revealed that studies had a low to moderate risk of bias, largely because of self-reporting survey-based methodology. Because of considerable heterogeneity and risk of bias, prevalence outcomes were not pooled and instead are presented as ranges (mean I 2 = 91.3%).

The career prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in orthopaedic surgeons ranged from 37% to 97%. By anatomic location, the prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in the head and neck ranged from 4% to 74%; back ranged from 9% to 77%; forearm, wrist, and hand ranged from 12% to 54%; elbow ranged from 3% to 28%; shoulder ranged from 3% to 34%; hip and thigh ranged from 1% to 10%; knee and lower leg ranged from 1% to 31%; and foot and ankle ranged from 4% to 25%. Of orthopaedic surgeons reporting work-related musculoskeletal disorders, 9% to 33% had a leave of absence, practice restriction or modification, or early retirement, and 27% to 83% received some form of treatment. Orthopaedic surgeons experienced biomechanical, cardiovascular, neuromuscular, and metabolic stress during procedures. Interventions to improve orthopaedic surgical ergonomics have been limited, but have included robotic assistance, proper visualization aids, appropriate use of power tools, and safely minimizing lead apron use. In hip and knee arthroplasty, robotic assistance was the most effective in improving posture and reducing caloric expenditure. In spine surgery, proper use of surgical loupes was the most effective in improving posture.

Although the reported ranges of our main findings were wide, even on the low end of the reported ranges, work-related musculoskeletal disability among orthopaedic surgeons appears to be a substantial concern. We recommend that orthopaedic residency training programs incorporate surgical ergonomics or work injury lectures, workshops, and film review (alongside existing film review of surgical skills) into their curricula. We suggest hospitals engage in shared decision-making with surgeons through anonymous needs assessment surveys to implement wellness programs specific to surgeons' musculoskeletal needs. We urge institutions to assess surgeon ergonomics during routine quality assessment of novel surgical instruments and workflows.

Level III, prognostic study.

Evidence-based medicine recognizes that clinical expertise gained through experience is essential to good medical practice. However, it is not known what beliefs clinicians hold about how personal clinical experience and scientific knowledge contribute to their clinical decision making and how those beliefs vary between professions, which themselves vary along relevant characteristics, such as their evidence base.

We investigate how years in the profession influence health care professionals' beliefs about science and their clinical experience through surveys administered to random samples of Swedish physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, dentists, and dental hygienists. The sampling frame was each profession's most recent occupational registry.

Participants (N = 1,627, 46% response rate) viewed science as more important for decision making, more certain, and more systematic than experience. Differences among the professions were greatest for systematicity, where physicians saw the largest gap between the 2 types of knowledge across all levels of professional experience. The effect of years in the profession varied; it had little effect on assessments of importance across all professions but otherwise tended to decrease the difference between assessments of science and experience. Physicians placed the greatest emphasis on science over clinical experience among the 5 professions surveyed.

Health care professions appear to share some attitudes toward professional knowledge, despite the variation in the age of the professions and the scientific knowledge base available to practitioners. Training and policy making about clinical decision making might improve by accounting for the ways in which knowledge is understood across the professions.

Study participants, representing 5 health care professions-medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, dentistry, and dental hygiene-viewed science as more important for decision making, more certain, and more systematic than their personal clinical experience.Of all the professions represented in the study, physicians saw the greatest differences between the 2 types of knowledge.The effect of years of professional experience varied but tended to be small, attenuating the differences seen between science and clinical experience.

To examine the association of anesthesiologist sex on postoperative outcomes.

Differences in patient postoperative outcomes exist, depending on whether the primary surgeon is male or female, with better outcomes seen among patients treated by female surgeons. Whether the intraoperative anesthesiologist's sex is associated with differential postoperative patient outcomes is unknown.

We performed a population-based, retrospective cohort study among adult patients undergoing one of 25 common elective or emergent surgical procedures from 2007 to 2019 in Ontario, Canada. We assessed the association between the sex of the intraoperative anesthesiologist and the primary end point of the adverse postoperative outcome, defined as death, readmission, or complication within 30 days after surgery, using generalized estimating equations.

Among 1,165,711 patients treated by 3006 surgeons and 1477 anesthesiologists, 311,822 (26.7%) received care from a female anesthesiologist and 853,889 (73.3%) from a male anesthesiologist. Overall, 10.8% of patients experienced one or more adverse postoperative outcomes, of whom 1.1% died. Multivariable adjusted rates of the composite primary end point were higher among patients treated by male anesthesiologists (10.6%) compared with female anesthesiologists (10.4%; adjusted odds ratio 1.02, 95% CI: 1.00-1.05, P =0.048).

We demonstrated a significant association between sex of the intraoperative anesthesiologist and patient short-term outcomes after surgery in a large cohort study. This study supports the growing literature of improved patient outcomes among female practitioners. The underlying mechanisms of why outcomes differ between male and female physicians remain elusive and require further in-depth study.

Increasing surgeon age may influence patient outcomes after complex procedures due to gained experience but also decreased technical and cognitive abilities. This study aimed to clarify whether surgeon age influences patients' long-term survival after gastrectomy for gastric adenocarcinoma.

Population-based cohort study including all patients who underwent open and curatively intended gastrectomy for gastric adenocarcinoma between 2006 and 2015 in Sweden, with follow-up throughout 2020. Surgeon age, categorized into three equal-sized groups (tertiles), was assessed in relation to 5-year all-cause mortality rate (main outcome) and 5-year disease-specific death (secondary outcome) using multivariable Cox regression adjusted for patient age, sex, education, co-morbidity, pathological tumour stage, tumour sublocation and neoadjuvant therapy. Lymph node yield, resection margin status, in-hospital complications and annual surgeon volume of gastrectomy were considered potential mediators.

Among 1647 patients, the 5-year all-cause mortality rate was increased for surgeon age ≥55 years (adjusted HR 1.21, 95% c.i. 1.04 to 1.41) and borderline elevated for age 47-54 years (HR 1.16, 95% c.i. 0.99 to 1.36), compared with age ≤46 years. Five-year disease-specific death was increased for surgeon age ≥55 years (HR 1.25, 95% c.i. 1.06 to 1.48) and 47-54 years (HR 1.22, 95% c.i. 1.02 to 1.44), compared with age ≤46 years. The associations attenuated and became statistically non-significant after adjustment for lymph node yield, resection margin status and complications.

Surgeon age ≥47 years might be associated with worse long-term survival in patients who undergo gastrectomy for gastric adenocarcinoma, possibly mediated in part by differences in lymph node yield, resection margin status and complications.

➤ Aging is associated with well-documented neurocognitive and psychomotor changes.➤ These changes can be expected to impact the skill with which orthopaedic surgeons continue to perform surgical procedures.➤ Currently, there is no standardized approach for assessing the changes in surgical skills and clinical judgment that may occur with aging.➤ Oversight by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the impact of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the current legal climate make it difficult to institute a mandatory assessment program.➤ The regularly scheduled credentialing process that occurs at each institution can be the most effective time to assess for these changes because it utilizes an established process that occurs at regularly scheduled intervals.➤ Each department of orthopaedic surgery and institution should determine an approach that can be utilized when there is concern that a surgeon's surgical skills have shown signs of deterioration.

We report a case of cervicofacial actinomycosis mimicking malignant sarcoma in a 78-year-old man with diabetes. High lesion uptake and decreased cerebral uptake on [18F]FDG PET/CT provide a potentially important diagnostic clue suggesting infectious disease in a poorly controlled diabetic patient.

Prior research has shown differences in postoperative outcomes for patients treated by female and male surgeons. It is important to understand, from a health system and payer perspective, whether surgical health care costs differ according to the surgeon's sex.

To examine the association between surgeon sex and health care costs among patients undergoing surgery.

This population-based, retrospective cohort study included adult patients undergoing 1 of 25 common elective or emergent surgical procedures between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2019, in Ontario, Canada. Analysis was performed from October 2022 to March 2023.

Surgeon sex.

The primary outcome was total health care costs assessed 1 year following surgery. Secondarily, total health care costs at 30 and 90 days, as well as specific cost categories, were assessed. Generalized estimating equations were used with procedure-level clustering to compare costs between patients undergoing equivalent surgeries performed by female and male surgeons, with further adjustment for patient-, surgeon-, anesthesiologist-, hospital-, and procedure-level covariates.

Among 1 165 711 included patients, 151 054 were treated by a female surgeon and 1 014 657 were treated by a male surgeon. Analyzed at the procedure-specific level and accounting for patient-, surgeon-, anesthesiologist-, and hospital-level covariates, 1-year total health care costs were higher for patients treated by male surgeons ($24 882; 95% CI, $20 780-$29 794) than female surgeons ($18 517; 95% CI, $16 080-$21 324) (adjusted absolute difference, $6365; 95% CI, $3491-9238; adjusted relative risk, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.05-1.14). Similar patterns were observed at 30 days (adjusted absolute difference, $3115; 95% CI, $1682-$4548) and 90 days (adjusted absolute difference, $4228; 95% CI, $2255-$6202).

This analysis found lower 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year health care costs for patients treated by female surgeons compared with those treated by male surgeons. These data further underscore the importance of creating inclusive policies and environments supportive of women surgeons to improve recruitment and retention of a more diverse and representative workforce.

To synthesize evidence relevant for informed decisions concerning cognitive testing of older physicians.

Relevant literature was systematically searched in Medline, EMBASE, PsycInfo, and ERIC, with key findings abstracted and synthesized.

Cognitive abilities of physicians may decline in an age range where they are still practicing. Physician competence and clinical performance may also decline with age. Cognitive scores are lower in physicians referred for assessment because of competency or performance concerns. Many physicians do not accurately self-assess and continue to practice despite declining quality of care; however, perceived cognitive decline, although not an accurate indicator of ability, may accelerate physicians' decision to retire. Physicians are reluctant to report colleagues' cognitive problems. Several issues should be considered in implementing cognitive screening. Most cognitive assessment tools lack normative data for physicians. Scientific evidence linking cognitive test results with physician performance is limited. There is no known level of cognitive decline at which a doctor is no longer fit to practice. Finally, relevant domains of cognitive ability vary across medical specialties.

Physician cognitive decline may impact clinical performance. If cognitive assessment of older physicians is to be implemented, it should consider challenges of cognitive test result interpretation.

To determine whether patient-surgeon gender concordance is associated with mortality of patients after surgery in the United States.

Retrospective observational study.

Acute care hospitals in the US.

100% of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 65-99 years who had one of 14 major elective or non-elective (emergent or urgent) surgeries in 2016-19.

Mortality after surgery, defined as death within 30 days of the operation. Adjustments were made for patient and surgeon characteristics and hospital fixed effects (effectively comparing patients within the same hospital).

Among 2 902 756 patients who had surgery, 1 287 845 (44.4%) had operations done by surgeons of the same gender (1 201 712 (41.4%) male patient and male surgeon, 86 133 (3.0%) female patient and female surgeon) and 1 614 911 (55.6%) were by surgeons of different gender (52 944 (1.8%) male patient and female surgeon, 1 561 967 (53.8%) female patient and male surgeon). Adjusted 30 day mortality after surgery was 2.0% for male patient-male surgeon dyads, 1.7% for male patient-female surgeon dyads, 1.5% for female patient-male surgeon dyads, and 1.3% for female patient-female surgeon dyads. Patient-surgeon gender concordance was associated with a slightly lower mortality for female patients (adjusted risk difference -0.2 percentage point (95% confidence interval -0.3 to -0.1); P<0.001), but a higher mortality for male patients (0.3 (0.2 to 0.5); P<0.001) for elective procedures, although the difference was small and not clinically meaningful. No evidence suggests that operative mortality differed by patient-surgeon gender concordance for non-elective procedures.

Post-operative mortality rates were similar (ie, the difference was small and not clinically meaningful) among the four types of patient-surgeon gender dyads.

Female surgeons are still in the minority worldwide, and highlighting gender differences in surgery is important in understanding and reducing inequities within the surgical specialty. Studies on different surgical procedures indicate equal results, or safer outcomes, for female surgeons, but it is still unclear whether surgical outcomes of gallstone surgery differ between female and male surgeons.

To examine the association of the surgeon's gender with surgical outcomes and operating time in elective and acute care cholecystectomies.

A population-based cohort study based on data from the Swedish Registry of Gallstone Surgery was performed from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2019. The sample included all registered patients undergoing cholecystectomy in Sweden during the study period. The follow-up time was 30 days. Data analysis was performed from September 1 to September 7, 2022, and updated March 24, 2023.

The surgeon's gender.

The association between the surgeon's gender and surgical outcomes for elective and acute care cholecystectomies was calculated with generalized estimating equations. Differences in operating time were calculated with mixed linear model analysis.

A total of 150 509 patients, with 97 755 (64.9%) undergoing elective cholecystectomies and 52 754 (35.1%) undergoing acute care cholecystectomies, were operated on by 2553 surgeons, including 849 (33.3%) female surgeons and 1704 (67.7%) male surgeons. Female surgeons performed fewer cholecystectomies per year and were somewhat better represented at universities and private clinics. Patients operated on by male surgeons had more surgical complications (odds ratio [OR], 1.29; 95% CI, 1.19-1.40) and total complications (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.06-1.19). Male surgeons had more bile duct injuries in elective surgery (OR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.22-2.34), but no significant difference was apparent in acute care operations. Female surgeons had significantly longer operation times. Male surgeons converted to open surgery more often than female surgeons in acute care surgery (OR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.04-1.43), and their patients had longer hospital stays (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.11-1.31). No significant difference in 30-day mortality could be demonstrated.

The results of this cohort study indicate that female surgeons have more favorable outcomes and operate more slowly than male surgeons in elective and acute care cholecystectomies. These findings may contribute to an increased understanding of gender differences within this surgical specialty.

Sex- and gender-based differences in a surgeon's medical practice and communication may be factors in patients' perioperative outcomes. Patients treated by female surgeons have improved 30-day outcomes. However, whether these outcomes persist over longer follow-up has not been assessed.

To examine whether surgeon sex is associated with 90-day and 1-year outcomes among patients undergoing common surgeries.

A population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted in adults in Ontario, Canada, undergoing 1 of 25 common elective or emergent surgeries between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2019. Analysis was performed between July 15 and October 20, 2022.

Surgeon sex.

An adverse postoperative event, defined as the composite of death, readmission, or complication, was assessed at 90 days and 1 year following surgery. Secondarily, each of these outcomes was assessed individually. Outcomes were compared between patients treated by female and male surgeons using generalized estimating equations with clustering at the level of the surgical procedure, accounting for patient-, procedure-, surgeon-, anesthesiologist-, and facility-level covariates.

Among 1 165 711 included patients, 151 054 were treated by a female and 1 014 657 by a male surgeon. Overall, 14.3% of the patients had 1 or more adverse postoperative outcomes at 90 days and 25.0% had 1 or more adverse postoperative outcomes 1 year following surgery. Among these, 2.0% of patients died within 90 days and 4.3% died within 1 year. Multivariable-adjusted rates of the composite end point were higher among patients treated by male than female surgeons at both 90 days (13.9% vs 12.5%; adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.08; 95% CI, 1.03-1.13) and 1 year (25.0% vs 20.7%; AOR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.01-1.12). Similar patterns were observed for mortality at 90 days (0.8% vs 0.5%; AOR 1.25; 95% CI, 1.12-1.39) and 1 year (2.4% vs 1.6%; AOR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.13-1.36).

After accounting for patient, procedure, surgeon, anesthesiologist, and hospital characteristics, the findings of this cohort study suggest that patients treated by female surgeons have lower rates of adverse postoperative outcomes including death at 90 days and 1 year after surgery compared with those treated by male surgeons. These findings further support differences in patient outcomes based on physician sex that warrant deeper study regarding underlying causes and potential solutions.

To determine the association between emergency physicians' ages and patient mortality after emergency department visits.

This observational study used a 20% random sample of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 65 to 89 years treated by emergency physicians at EDs from 2016 to 2017. We investigated whether 7-day mortality after ED visits differed by the age of the emergency physician, adjusting for patient and physician characteristics and hospital fixed effects.

We observed 2,629,464 ED visits treated by 32,570 emergency physicians (mean age 43.5). We found that patients treated by younger emergency physicians had lower mortality rates compared with those treated by older physicians. Adjusted 7-day mortality was 1.33% for patients treated by emergency physicians aged less than 40 years, 1.36% (adjusted difference, 0.03%; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.001% to 0.06%) for physicians ages 40 to 49, 1.40% (0.08%; 95% CI 0.04% to 0.12%) for physicians ages 50 to 59, and 1.43% (0.11%; 95% CI 0.06% to 0.16%) for those with a physician age of 60 years and more. Similar patterns were observed when stratified by the patient's disposition (discharged vs admitted), and the association was more pronounced for patients with higher severity of illness.

Medicare patients aged 65 to 89 years treated by emergency physicians aged under 40 years had lower 7-day mortality rates than those treated by physicians aged 50 to 59 years and 60 years or older within the same hospital. Potential mechanisms explaining the association between emergency physician age and patient mortality (eg, differences in training received and other unobservable patient/physician characteristics) are uncertain and require further study.

 Laparoscopic suturing and knot tying are regarded as some of the most difficult laparoscopic skills to learn. Training is essential to reach proficiency, but available training opportunities are limited. Various techniques to improve training have been evaluated. It appears that individual-related factors affect initial performance and response to training. Thus, the current study aimed to assess factors influencing laparoscopic-suturing and knot-tying performances.

 All patients were trained one-on-one (teacher-student) for 3 hours. Patients were tested before training (bowel anastomosis model) and directly after training (congenital diaphragmatic hernia or esophageal atresia model) to evaluate transferability. Primary endpoints were time, knot quality, precision, knot strength, and overall laparoscopic knotting performance. Moreover, factors such as (1) age, (2) gender, (3) handedness, (4) previous training or operative experience, (5) playing an instrument, (6) sportive activities, and (7) computer gaming which may influence the primary endpoints were assessed.

 In total, 172 medical students or novice surgical residents were included. Training significantly improved all outcome parameters assessed in the current study. More than 50% of the patients reached proficiency after 3 hours of training. Personal factors like operative experience, playing music instruments, sportive activities, and computer gaming affected some outcome parameters. Handedness and gender affected initial performance but differences partially subsided after training. Younger participants showed a much better response to training.

 In conclusion, several factors influence initial performance and response to the training of laparoscopic suturing and knot tying. Surgeons who want to improve their laparoscopic performance, should concentrate on playing a musical instrument and performing sports rather than playing videos gaming. It appears that training is a key and more practice opportunities should be incorporated into medical school and surgical curricula. Moreover, handedness may affect the outcome but only if the training concepts are not tailored to the dominant hand of the surgeon. Future training and surgical curricula should adapt to this and tailor their concepts accordingly.

The stereotype that men perform surgery better than women is ancient. Surgeons have long been mainly men, but in recent decades an inversion has begun; the number of women surgeons is increasing, especially in obstetrics and gynecology. Studies outside obstetrics suggest that postoperative morbidity and mortality may be lower after surgery by women.

To evaluate the association between surgeons' gender and the risks of maternal morbidity and postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) after cesarean deliveries.

This prospective cohort study was based on data from the Tranexamic Acid for Preventing Postpartum Hemorrhage after Cesarean Delivery (TRAAP2) trial, a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled trial that took place from March 2018 through January 2020 (23 months). It aimed to investigate whether the administration of tranexamic acid plus a prophylactic uterotonic agent decreased PPH incidence after cesarean delivery compared with a uterotonic agent alone. Women having a cesarean delivery before or during labor at or after 34 weeks' gestation were recruited from 27 French maternity hospitals.

Self-reported gender (man or woman), assessed by a questionnaire immediately after delivery.

The primary end point was the incidence of a composite maternal morbidity variable, and the secondary end point was the incidence of PPH (the primary outcome of the TRAAP2 trial), defined by a calculated estimated blood loss exceeding 1000 mL or transfusion by day 2.

Among 4244 women included, men surgeons performed 943 cesarean deliveries (22.2%) and women surgeons performed 3301 (77.8%). The rate of attending obstetricians was higher among men (441 of 929 [47.5%]) than women (687 of 3239 [21.2%]). The risk of maternal morbidity did not differ for men and women surgeons: 119 of 837 (14.2%) vs 476 of 2928 (16.3%) (adjusted risk ratio, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.77-1.13]). Interaction between surgeon gender and level of experience on the risk of maternal morbidity was not statistically significant. Similarly, the groups did not differ for PPH risk (adjusted risk ratio, 0.98 [95% CI, 0.85-1.13]).

Risks of postoperative maternal morbidity and of PPH exceeding 1000 mL or requiring transfusion by day 2 did not differ by the surgeon's gender.

To assess inequities in mortality by race and sex for eight common surgical procedures (elective and non-elective) across specialties in the United States.

Retrospective cohort study.

US, 2016-18.

1 868 036 Black and White Medicare beneficiaries aged 65-99 years undergoing one of eight common surgeries: repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm, appendectomy, cholecystectomy, colectomy, coronary artery bypass surgery, hip replacement, knee replacement, and lung resection.

The main outcome measure was 30 day mortality, defined as death during hospital admission or within 30 days of the surgical procedure.

Postoperative mortality overall was higher in Black men (1698 deaths, adjusted mortality rate 3.05%, 95% confidence interval 2.85% to 3.24%) compared with White men (21 833 deaths, 2.69%, 2.65% to 2.73%), White women (21 847 deaths, 2.38%, 2.35% to 2.41%), and Black women (1631 deaths, 2.18%, 2.04% to 2.31%), after adjusting for potential confounders. A similar pattern was found for elective surgeries, with Black men showing a higher adjusted mortality (393 deaths, 1.30%, 1.14% to 1.46%) compared with White men (5650 deaths, 0.85%, 0.83% to 0.88%), White women (4615 deaths, 0.82%, 0.80% to 0.84%), and Black women (359 deaths, 0.79%, 0.70% to 0.88%). This 0.45 percentage point difference implies that mortality after elective procedures was 50% higher in Black men compared with White men. For non-elective surgeries, however, mortality did not differ between Black men and White men (1305 deaths, 6.69%, 6.26% to 7.11%; and 16 183 deaths, 7.03%, 6.92% to 7.14%, respectively), although mortality was lower for White women and Black women (17 232 deaths, 6.12%, 6.02% to 6.21%; and 1272 deaths, 5.29%, 4.93% to 5.64%, respectively). These differences in mortality appeared within seven days after surgery and persisted for up to 60 days after surgery.

Postoperative mortality overall was higher among Black men compared with White men, White women, and Black women. These findings highlight the need to understand better the unique challenges Black men who require surgery face.

To evaluate whether there are differences in several performance metrics between male and female surgeons for hysterectomies.