Dataset Information

Women in thoracic, cardiac and vascular surgery claim for a change in the working situation: an Italian national survey.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Women's participation in the surgical workforce has increased. The aim of the study is to acquire objective data regarding practice, training, satisfaction, and discrimination of women surgeons working in cardiothoracic and vascular surgery in Italy.

Methods

An 83-item questionnaire was distributed through social media and sent to e-mails of women surgeons from November through December 2020. A sub-analysis on women working in cardiac, thoracic, and vascular surgery was performed.

Results

Overall, 222 respondents were included (48 cardiac, 62 thoracic, and 112 vascular surgeons). Thirty-six percent partially abandoned surgical activities in favor of other professional activities, not including the operating room. On average, our respondents took part in 33% of all surgical cases performed in their units; however, of 12 high complexity surgeries per month, less than one is performed by them. Only 7 female participants who answered the questionnaire were in leadership positions. Many respondents struggle with lack of mentorship and missing opportunities in operating room. A high percentage of women experienced discrimination due to their gender in their professional life, and 59% claimed to have been subject to sexual harassment.

Conclusions

In Italy, women thoracic, cardiac, and vascular surgeons face lack of mentorship, opportunities in the operating room, and gender-related issues including some episodes of sexual harassment. Diversity, equity, and inclusion should become strategic priorities in all institutions. Among our respondents, surgical exposure is limited, which may deter a surgical career and play a crucial role in surgeons' dissatisfaction, that also include poor work-life-balance, and a large amount of administrative work. Surgical societies may address these issues by providing structured mentorship programs and networking opportunities. Societies' contributions might substantially impact supporting and retaining women at different stages of their careers.

SUBMITTER: Parini S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10797384 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Women in thoracic, cardiac and vascular surgery claim for a change in the working situation: an Italian national survey.

Parini Sara S Azzolina Danila D Lucidi Daniela D Verdi Daunia D Ceccarelli Ilaria I Manganiello Sabrina S Francescato Annalisa A Parise Michela M Peluttiero Ilaria I Sicolo Elisa E Pompili Cecilia C Spolverato Gaya G

Journal of thoracic disease 20231219 12

<h4>Background</h4>Women's participation in the surgical workforce has increased. The aim of the study is to acquire objective data regarding practice, training, satisfaction, and discrimination of women surgeons working in cardiothoracic and vascular surgery in Italy.<h4>Methods</h4>An 83-item questionnaire was distributed through social media and sent to e-mails of women surgeons from November through December 2020. A sub-analysis on women working in cardiac, thoracic, and vascular surgery was ...[more]

PMID: 38249859

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Project description:BackgroundPersistent air leak and the management of intraoperative blood loss are common threats in thoracic surgical practice. The availability of new procedures, technology and materials is constantly evolving topical hemostats and surgical sealants must be added to this toolkit. Topical hemostats and surgical sealants differ according to their chemical nature and physical characteristics, to their origin and mechanism of action, regulatory/registration and vigilance paths. A Delphi consensus was set to highlight the different points of view on the use of topical haemostatic products and sealants among the members of Italian Society of thoracic surgery.MethodsThe board was formed by a group of five Italian experts; in the first phase after a careful review of the scientific literature and two rounds, the board finally generated 16 consensus statements for testing across a wider audience. During the second phase, the statements were collated into a questionnaire, which was electronically sent to a panel of 46 Italian surgeons, experts in the field.ResultsOut of 46 Italian surgeons, 33 (72%) panel members responded to the Delphi questionnaire. All the items reached a positive consensus, with elevated levels of agreement, as demonstrated by the presence of a 100% consensus for nine items. For the remaining 7 statements the minimum level of consent was 88% (29 participants approved the statement and 4 disagreed) and the maximum was 97% (32 participants approved the statement and 1 was in disagreement).ConclusionsThe present Delphi analysis shows that air leak and intraoperative bleeding are clinical problems well known among thoracic surgeons. Nevertheless, the aim of the scientific societies and of the group of experts is to execute the education activities in the surgery community. This Delphi survey suggest the need of wider and updated scientific information about technical and registration characteristics of most recent technologic solutions, such as the of topical hemostats and surgical sealants to provide healthcare and administrative staff with the opportunity to work and interact through a common and shared language and eventually to guarantee minimal requirements of assistance.

Dataset Information

Women in thoracic, cardiac and vascular surgery claim for a change in the working situation: an Italian national survey.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Women in thoracic, cardiac and vascular surgery claim for a change in the working situation: an Italian national survey.

Similar Datasets

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