Ont. study finds more female surgeons in the OR could improve patient outcomes

This adds to a growing field of studies that suggest women are less likely to experience miscommunication, misunderstanding and bias when treated by female doctors. In this case, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre found that when hospitals reached a critical mass of female surgeons and anesthesiologists, there was a lower chance of patients having major complications in the 90 days after the surgery. The number of female anesthesiologists and surgeons in Ont. rose by only five percent over 10 years and the study showed half the hospitals didn't reach the 35% threshold or critical mass of women in 2019. The researchers point out that the issue isn’t only about equity and justice. They believe there’s a need to increase performance and provide better care. Researchers from the U.S., Italy, Australia and Japan also observed better outcomes in other industries once teams had 35% female members.