Multi-institutional study examining intraoperative entrustment and resident sex

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Gender Studies in Medicine

Background:

• Previous single-site studies reported inconsistent gender associations with entrustment in surgical residency.
• This study aimed to evaluate resident sex and intraoperative entrustment across multiple institutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between resident sex and intraoperative entrustment.
• To determine if gender influences entrustment-based interactions in surgical training programs.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the OpTrust tool for objective intraoperative assessment of faculty entrustment and resident entrustability.
• Observed surgical cases across four university-based training programs.
• Employed independent sample t-tests and regression analysis with cluster adjusted standard errors.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in resident entrustability was found based on resident sex across multiple institutions (p=0.30).
• Female residents were observed in cases rated as more difficult (p=0.04).
• One institution showed higher resident entrustability and faculty entrustment for male residents (p=0.007 and p=0.022, respectively).

Conclusions:

• Overall entrustment did not differ by resident sex on a multi-institutional level.
• A single-site difference suggests multifactorial influences on training disparities.
• Further research is needed to explore site-specific factors affecting gender and entrustment in surgical education.