Primary Practice Emphasis Area and Diversity Among Board-Certified Ophthalmologists.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Education
• Health Equity

Background:

• Diversity in ophthalmology is crucial for equitable patient care.
• Understanding practice patterns of underrepresented in medicine (URiM) physicians is essential for targeted interventions.
• The American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) Diplomates database provides a valuable resource for analyzing physician demographics and practice trends.

Purpose of the Study:

• To delineate the primary practice emphasis areas within ophthalmology among physicians identifying as underrepresented in medicine (URiM) compared to their non-URiM counterparts.
• To analyze trends in URiM representation within the ophthalmology workforce over time.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study utilizing the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO) Diplomates database from 1992 to 2020.
• Data included demographics, graduation and certification years, practice region, and self-reported primary practice emphasis area.
• Statistical analyses included Pearson χ², Student t, and Fisher exact tests to compare URiM and non-URiM diplomates.

Main Results:

• 10.1% of ophthalmologists identified as URiM (n=575) versus 89.9% as non-URiM (n=5132).
• URiM diplomates were more likely to be female and older at certification (P < .001).
• A significant decrease in the percentage of URiM diplomates was observed over time (P < .001).
• URiM ophthalmologists were more likely to specialize in glaucoma (P = .039), while non-URiM physicians favored oncology, pathology, international, or genetics (P = .015).

Conclusions:

• Modest differences exist in practice emphasis areas between URiM and non-URiM ophthalmologists.
• Despite diversity efforts, the representation of URiM physicians in ophthalmology has decreased over the last two decades.
• Further strategies are needed to enhance diversity and inclusion within the ophthalmology workforce.