Gender disparity in the effects of COVID‐19 on academic productivity and career satisfaction in anesthesiology in the US: Results of a national survey of anesthesiologists

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic created unprecedented challenges for anesthesiologists both at work and home. This study examined whether the pandemic affected academic productivity and career satisfaction among anesthesiologists practicing in the United States during the early stages of the pandemic and whether these effects differed by gender. A survey was emailed to 25,473 members of the American Society of Anesthesiologists to learn about their experiences during the beginning of the pandemic. The survey directed respondents to rate their change in academic productivity, clinical care hours, scholarly and leadership opportunities, income, childcare duties, and household responsibilities during the first 5 months of the pandemic (March 1–July 31, 2020). The primary variable was gender, academic productivity was the primary outcome, and data were analyzed by multivariable proportional odds logistic regression models and correlations. Female anesthesiologists reported lower academic productivity and career satisfaction relative to male anesthesiologists during the study period. Career satisfaction positively correlated with academic productivity. Compared to male anesthesiologists, female anesthesiologists also had more household responsibilities before and during the pandemic. Being a female parent reduced academic productivity relative to that reported by nonparents of either gender. In conclusion, the early months of the COVID‐19 pandemic had a greater adverse professional impact on female anesthesiologists than on their male counterparts. Efforts to support and retain female anesthesiologists, particularly those early in their careers and those with children, are essential for the specialty to maintain its workforce and promote gender equity in promotion and leadership. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Gender, Work & Organization is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Pediatric Dog Bites to the Face May Have Been Less Severe During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: Pediatric dog bite injuries are one of the most common nonfatal injuries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, children stayed at home more than pre-pandemic. The effect of the pandemic on severity of dog bites to the face in children has not been examined. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency and severity of dog bite injuries to the face in children during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic when compared to the previous year. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted for children with dog bite injuries to the head and neck region who presented to the emergency department at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta from March 2019 to March 2021. The predictor variable was the time of injury, and this was divided into pre-lockdown [control group (March 15, 2019, to March 15, 2020), ie pre-L] and lockdown (March 15, 2019, to March 15, 2020), ie post-L. The outcome variable was severity of dog bite defined as one or more of the following: 1) patient required sedation or general anesthesia for repair, 2) 3 or more regions in the head and neck were involved, and/or 3) surgical consultation took place. The investigators used a two-sample t-test, multivariable linear regression models, and modified analysis of variance and multivariate ANOVA tests to analyze the data (P-value < .05 determined significance). RESULTS: 712 children (370 males) with an average age of 6 years old (range, 7 months-18 years) fit the inclusion criteria. There were 381 cases in the pre-L and 331 in the post-L period. There were more cases on average per month pre-L (31.8 cases/month) than post-L (27.6 cases/month) (P-value = .26). There were 183 pre-L surgical consults compared to 75 post-L (48 vs 22.8% of cases, respectively; P-value ≤ .001). There were 52 pre-L cases that had 3 or more sites in the head and neck compared to 28 during the post-L period (P-value = .032). CONCLUSIONS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there may have been a decrease in the severity of dog bite injuries. This trend may demonstrate a consequence that is not a direct result of the virus.

The Effects of Coronavirus Disease 2019 on Pediatric Anesthesiologists: A Survey of the Members of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the personal and professional lives of all health care workers. Anesthesiologists frequently perform virus-aerosolizing procedures (eg, intubation and extubation) that place them at increased risk of infection. We sought to determine how the initial COVID-19 outbreak affected members of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia (SPA) on both personal and professional levels. Specifically, we examined the potential effects of gender and age on personal stress, burnout, sleep deprivation, anxiety, depression, assessed job satisfaction, and explored financial impact. METHODS: After receiving approval from the SPA Committees for Research and Quality and Safety and the Colorado Multiple Institutional Review Board, we e-mailed a questionnaire to all 3245 SPA members. The survey included 22 questions related to well-being and 13 questions related to effects of COVID-19 on current and future practice, finances, retirement planning, academic time and productivity, and clinical and home responsibilities. To address low initial response rates and quantify nonresponse bias, we sent a shortened follow-up survey to a randomly selected subsample (n = 100) of SPA members who did not respond to the initial survey. Response differences between the 2 cohorts were determined. RESULTS: A total of 561 (17%) members responded to the initial questionnaire. Because of COVID-19, 21.7% of respondents said they would change their clinical responsibilities, and 10.6% would decrease their professional working time. Women were more likely than men to anticipate a future COVID-19-related job change (odds ratio [OR] = 1.92, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-2.63; P = .011), perhaps because of increased home responsibilities (OR = 2.63, 95% CI, 1.74-4.00; P < .001). Additionally, 14.2% of respondents planned to retire early, and 11.9% planned to retire later. Women and non-White respondents had higher likelihoods of burnout on univariate analysis (OR = 1.75, 95% CI, 1.06-2.94, P = .026 and OR = 1.82, 95% CI, 1.08-3.04, P = .017, respectively), and 25.1% of all respondents felt socially isolated. In addition, both changes in retirement planning and future occupational planning were strongly associated with total job satisfaction scores (both P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the personal and professional lives of pediatric anesthesiologists, albeit not equally, as women and non-Whites have been disproportionately impacted. The pandemic has significantly affected personal finances, home responsibilities, and retirement planning; reduced clinical and academic practice time and responsibilities; and increased feelings of social isolation, stress, burnout, and depression/anxiety.

Management of pediatric facial fractures during COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused delays in medical and surgical interventions in most health care systems worldwide. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMSs) delayed operations to protect themselves, patients, and staff. This article (1) presents one institution's experience in the management of pediatric craniomaxillofacial trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) suggests recommendations to decrease transmission. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of children aged 18 years or younger who underwent surgery at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta in Atlanta, GA, between March and August 2020. Patients (1) were aged 18 years old or younger, (2) had one or more maxillofacial fractures, and (3) underwent surgery performed by an OMS, otolaryngologist, or plastic surgeon. Medical records were reviewed regarding (1) fracture location, (2) COVID-19 status, (3) timing, (4) personal protective equipment, and (5) infection status. Descriptive statistics were computed. RESULTS: Fifty-eight children met the inclusion criteria. The most commonly injured maxillofacial location was the nose. Operations were performed 50.9 hours after admission. Specific prevention perioperative guidelines were used with all patients, with no transmission occurring from a patient to a health care worker. CONCLUSIONS: With application of our recommendations, there was no transmission to health care workers. We hope that these guidelines will assist OMSs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A cross-sectional survey of anxiety levels of oral and maxillofacial surgery residents during the early COVID-19 pandemic.

PURPOSE: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has increased anxiety among the general population. The purpose of this project was to investigate attitudes and anxiety among oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) residents during the early COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. OMS residents were sent electronic invitations to answer a survey. The survey was sent in April and May 2020. Residents enrolled in OMS residency programs accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation were included. Predictor variable was attitudes of OMS residents toward the pandemic. The outcome variable was anxiety levels of OMS residents due to the pandemic according to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-A. Other variables were demographic characteristics, general knowledge regarding the pandemic, and attitudes of OMS residents toward the pandemic. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher's exact test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression (P < .05). RESULTS: We received 275 responses. The majority of respondents were males (74.5%) aged 26 to 30 (52.7%). Residents reported different levels of anxiety (i.e., mild 58.2%, severe 41.8%). Based on multivariate analysis, moderate or severe anxiety was associated with being female (P = .048) and a senior resident (P = .049). Factors such as potential deployment to other services, availability of personal protective equipment, and unclear disease status of patients contributed to anxiety. CONCLUSION: Our study found that during the early COVID-19 pandemic, all residents experienced some anxiety. Senior OMS residents and female OMS residents experience higher anxiety levels than other residents.