Relationship Between Industry Funding and Otologists

To determine whether allocation of industry funding to otologists/neurotologists differs by gender.

Cross-sectional retrospective analysis.

Online open-access database.

Non-research payments made to otologists/neurotologists in 2019 and 2020 included in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments Database were examined. Comparison analyses were performed after removing outliers.

In 2019 and 2020, 217 otologists received industry funding. Funding was in the form of consulting, charity, education, gifts, grants, honoraria, royalty/license, travel and lodging, and other compensation. Only 15.7% were women. After controlling for age and years in practice, of the total sum of payments, women only received 4.4% (P < .001). Of the total number of payments, women only received 12.5% of payments (P = .07). Men received funding within each category, whereas women did not receive funding in honoraria, other compensation, royalty, gift, or charity. Within education, women received a median of 6 payments and men received 1 (P = .01). With travel and lodging, the median payment per male physician was $1013 ($581.96-$1785.71) versus $684.26 ($274.03-$1078.5) per female physician (P = .002).

Gender disparities in industry funding exist amongst otologists/neurotologists. Women receive less money as a whole and are underrepresented in several payment categories. Even after controlling for age and years in practice, women continue to receive less money. Therefore, these gender disparities that exist are not explained by age or experience.