Studies have shown that among physicians in the fields surgery, obstetrics and anesthesiology, or SOA, women are more likely to experience emotional exhaustion, but men have higher rates of depersonalization. However, women are much more likely than men to consider leaving SOA fields, most likely because of perceived family obligations. Reference: Mazhiqi, A et al. Gender differences in burnout and attrition in surgery, obstetrics and anesthesia worldwide: A scoping review. Presented at: Women in Medicine Summit; Oct. 9-10, 2020 (virtual meeting). “Despite 40% of surgeons experiencing burnout, burnout among physicians in SOA fields remain under recognized worldwide,” Adelina Mazhiqi, MD, co-founder and junior adviser of the Gender Equity Initiative in Global Surgery in Boston, told attendees. “Furthermore, women remain underrepresented across surgical specialties globally, but the effect of gender on burnout and attrition are not well understood.” Mazhiqi said burnout is characterized by three traits — emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced feelings of personal accomplishment. She and her research team reviewed 41 studies that looked at burnout and attrition among SOA clinicians. Here are some of their findings: Four studies showed that female surgeons had higher levels of emotional exhaustion than males; however, three other studies found no statistically significant gender differences regarding emotional exhaustion. Three studies concluded that male SOA physicians had higher depersonalization rates vs. females; one study reported similar rates between genders and another study showed lower rates among men. One study indicated no gender differences among SOA clinicians regarding feelings of personal accomplishments. According to Mazhiqi, study results suggest that women are two to three times more likely to leave surgical positions. Women were more likely to report “more family stress and greater perceived child-raising responsibility than their male colleagues,” which could explain this finding, she said. “Further studies are warranted to better understand and address gender differences in burnout and attrition and SOA fields,” Mazhiqi concluded. Although Mazhiqi and colleagues’ findings were somewhat mixed, an analysis in JAMA Network Open showed that among 1,305 internal medicine trainees and internists (605 of them women), the odds of burnout among women were 56% higher than men. In addition, women had 61% lower odds of having a joyous workplace, manageable work pace and manageable EHR-related stress and 39% lower odds of having a supportive work environment. Source
