Gender equality and equity in intensive care: an international Delphi consensus study.

Area of Science:

• Medical Professionalism
• Healthcare Management
• Gender Studies

Background:

• Intensive care professional life faces evolving gender equality and equity challenges.
• A lack of clear standards necessitates expert guidance in this field.
• Addressing gender disparities is crucial for workforce development in intensive care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide guidance on gender equality and equity in intensive care professional settings.
• To establish consensus on best practices for professional engagement.
• To identify areas for policy development and future research.

Main Methods:

• A Delphi methodology was employed with international experts.
• A 12-member Steering Committee and 46 panelists from diverse global backgrounds participated.
• Six rounds of online surveys were conducted to achieve consensus on 57 statements.

Main Results:

• Consensus was reached on 43 out of 57 statements, resulting in 37 professional practice guidance statements.
• Higher consensus was observed for equality statements (85.2%) compared to equity statements (66.7%).
• Areas of discordance for equity statements included academia, multiprofessional meetings, and the workplace.

Conclusions:

• The Delphi method successfully generated 37 consensus-based guidance statements for intensive care professionals.
• These statements offer essential guidance for professional engagement and policy development to advance gender equity and equality.
• Discordant statements highlight critical areas requiring further research to improve gender inclusivity.