Surgeon Sex and Long-Term Postoperative Outcomes Among Patients Undergoing Common Surgeries

Area of Science:

• Surgical outcomes research
• Health services research
• Patient safety

Background:

• Surgeon sex and communication styles may influence patient perioperative outcomes.
• Previous studies indicate improved 30-day outcomes for patients treated by female surgeons.
• Longer-term outcomes associated with surgeon sex have not been extensively studied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between surgeon sex and patient outcomes at 90 days and 1 year post-surgery.
• To compare adverse postoperative events, including death, readmission, and complications, between patients operated on by female and male surgeons.

Main Methods:

• Population-based retrospective cohort study in Ontario, Canada (2007-2019).
• Included adults undergoing 1 of 25 common surgeries.
• Compared outcomes using generalized estimating equations, adjusting for multiple covariates.

Main Results:

• Over 1.1 million patients were analyzed; 151,054 treated by female surgeons.
• Patients treated by female surgeons had lower adjusted odds of composite adverse events at 90 days (12.5% vs 13.9%) and 1 year (20.7% vs 25.0%).
• Lower mortality rates were also observed for patients treated by female surgeons at both 90 days (0.5% vs 0.8%) and 1 year (1.6% vs 2.4%).

Conclusions:

• Patients treated by female surgeons demonstrate lower rates of adverse postoperative outcomes, including mortality, up to 1 year after surgery.
• These findings underscore sex-based disparities in surgical care that warrant further investigation into underlying causes.
• Understanding these differences can inform strategies to improve patient safety and surgical care for all patients.