Comparing Pediatric Surgeons' and Palliative Care Pediatricians' Palliative Care Practices and Perspectives in Pediatric Surgical Patients.

PURPOSE: The nature of interactions between surgical and pediatric palliative care (PPC) teams caring for seriously ill children is unknown. This study compares pediatric surgeons' and PPC physicians' perspectives and practices regarding PPC in surgical patients. METHODS: A survey was administered to members of the American Pediatric Surgical Association and Pediatric Interest Group of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-four pediatric surgeons (31% female, 17.2 mean years of experience) and 71 PPC physicians (69% female, 10.1 mean years of experience) participated. Forty-three percent of surgeons reported consulting PPC often for children with serious illnesses. However, most PPC physicians (67%), said they are rarely/never consulted by surgeons (p = 0.002). PPC physicians were more likely to report that PPC involvement was too late (43% vs 21%, p = 0.005). More surgeons than PPC physicians felt that an appropriate time for PPC consultation was during serious illness deterioration (30% vs 7%, p = 0.05), whereas PPC physicians preferred consultation at diagnosis (54% vs 34%, p = 0.05). More PPC physicians (67%) than surgeons (17%) agreed that invasive interventions could be considered a form of PPC (p = 0.002). The most reported barrier to PPC consultation by surgeons (29%) was concern that parents would think the surgical team was giving up. PPC physicians were more likely to perceive barriers to consultation by surgeons than surgeons themselves (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: While pediatric surgeons value PPC involvement, surgical culture and misperception of parental resistance to PPC involvement lead to palliative care consultation only when illness acuity and severity are high, the possibility of curability is low, and death seems imminent. Seeking to understand patient and family priorities in care, managing patient and parental psychological distress, and treating non-surgical symptoms are areas where PPC can improve patient care. Barriers to PPC use and self-reported knowledge gaps in PPC provision may be mitigated by formalized PPC training for surgeons and intentional collaboration between the two groups. TYPE OF STUDY: Survey. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: N/A.

Workforce Attrition Among Male and Female Physicians Working in US Academic Hospitals, 2014-2019.

Importance: Retaining female physicians in the academic health care workforce is necessary to serve the needs of sociodemographically diverse patient populations. Objective: To investigate differences in rates of leaving academia between male and female physicians. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study used Care Compare data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for all physicians who billed Medicare from teaching hospitals from March 2014 to December 2019, excluding physicians who retired during the study period. Data were analyzed from November 11, 2021, to May 24, 2022. Exposure: Physician gender. Main Outcome and Measures: The primary outcome was leaving academia, which was defined as not billing Medicare from a teaching hospital for more than 1 year. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted adjusting for physician characteristics and region of the country. Results: There were 294 963 physicians analyzed (69.5% male). The overall attrition rate from academia was 34.2% after 5 years (38.3% for female physicians and 32.4% for male physicians). Female physicians had higher attrition rates than their male counterparts across every career stage (time since medical school graduation: <15 years, 40.5% vs 34.8%; 15-29 years, 36.4% vs 30.3%; ≥30 years, 38.5% vs 33.3%). On adjusted analysis, female physicians were more likely to leave academia than were their male counterparts (odds ratio, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.23-1.28). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, female physicians were more likely to leave academia than were male physicians at all career stages. The findings suggest that diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts should address attrition issues in addition to recruiting more female physicians into academic medicine.

Gender Homophily in Interphysician Referrals to Surgeons.

INTRODUCTION: The literature on gender homophily has mostly been focused on patient-physician relationship but not on interprofessional referrals. The goal of this study is to quantify interphysician gender homophily of referring physicians in surgical referrals. METHODS: An observational study of the referral data at a large academic center was performed. Patients referred through Epic to the department of general surgery from January 2016 to October 2019 were included. The primary end point was gender homophily and the primary independent variable was referring physician gender. Gender homophily was defined as greater than expected rates of gender concordance. Gender concordance was defined when referring physicians have the same gender as receiving surgeons. The expected concordance rate was defined as the availability of gender-concordant surgeons in the population. Absolute homophily is the difference between observed and expected concordance rates, whereas relative homophily is the ratio between observed and expected concordance rates. RESULTS: A total of 25,271 patient referrals from 2625 referring physicians to 91 surgeons were analyzed. The overall observed concordance rate for the entire study population was 55.3% and was 31.7% among female physicians and 82.4% among male physicians. Compared to the expected concordance rate, the absolute gender homophily among all female physicians was +7.2% or a relative homophily of 1.29%. In contrast, the absolute gender homophily among all male physicians was +6.9% or a relative homophily of 1.09%. CONCLUSIONS: Gender homophily exists in interprofessional referrals. Although referral decisions are presumably based solely on clinical factors, referrals can be affected by subjective biases.

Look in the Mirror, Not Out the Window: In Favor of Internal Benchmarking.

Over the past few decades, institutions have developed complex systems to compare themselves to others with the goal of improving healthcare quality. This process of comparison to others, called external benchmarking, has become the standard approach for quality improvement. However, external benchmarking is resource intensive, may not be flexible enough to focus on problems unique to individual institutions, and may lead to complacency for institutions ranking near the top of the quality bell curve for the measured metrics. Our singular focus on external benchmarking could also divert resources from other approaches. Here, we describe how the use of internal benchmarking, in which an institution focuses on improving their own processes over time, can offer unique advantages as well as offset the limitations of external benchmarking. We advocate for investment in both internal and external benchmarking as complimentary tools to improve healthcare quality.

Standardizing the Evaluation and Management of Necrotizing Enterocolitis in a Level IV NICU.

OBJECTIVES: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a severe intestinal inflammatory disease and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in NICUs. Management of NEC is variable because of the lack of evidence-based recommendations. It is widely accepted that standardization of patient care leads to improved outcomes. This quality improvement project aimed to decrease variation in the evaluation and management of NEC in a Level IV NICU. METHODS: A multidisciplinary team investigated institutional variation in NEC management and developed a standardized guideline and electronic medical record tools to assist in evaluation and management. Retrospective baseline data were collected for 2 years previously and prospectively for 3.5 years after interventions. Outcomes included the ratio of observed-to-expected days of antibiotics and nil per os (NPO) on the basis of the novel guidelines and the percentage of cases treated with piperacillin/tazobactam. Balancing measures were death, surgery, and antifungal use. RESULTS: Over 5.5 years, there were 124 evaluations for NEC. Special cause variation was noted in the observed-to-expected antibiotic and NPO days ratios, decreasing from 1.94 to 1.18 and 1.69 to 1.14, respectively. Piperacillin/tazobactam utilization increased from 30% to 91%. There were no increases in antifungal use, surgery, or death. CONCLUSIONS: Variation in evaluation and management of NEC decreased after initiation of a guideline and supporting electronic medical record tools, with fewer antibiotic and NPO days without an increase in morbidity or mortality. A quality improvement approach can benefit patients and decrease variability, even in diseases with limited evidence-based standards.

Do surgeons adjust clinical productivity after maternity leave?

BACKGROUND: It has been speculated that women's productivity decreases after maternity leave. In this study, we measured if surgeon clinical productivity decreases after a maternity leave or other types of leave. METHODS: Data from a large medical center was used to measure surgeon productivity before (pre) and after (post) a leave of absence. Post-to-pre productivity ratios were calculated for each leave based on operative volumes and Relative Value Units (RVUs). Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed for the post/pre productivity ratios, adjusting for surgeon characteristics. RESULTS: Fifty leaves of absence, from 30 surgeons, were analyzed. There was no significant difference between post and pre leave productivity for maternity leave or other types of leave. There was also no significant difference when comparing post/pre productivity ratios between maternity leaves versus other types of leave (volume: 0.06, p = 0.52; RVU: 0.08, p = 0.58). CONCLUSION: Surgeons do not significantly reduce clinical productivity after maternity or other types of leaves.

Disparity in prehospital scene time for geriatric trauma patients.

BACKGROUND: Geriatric patients face disparities in prehospital trauma care. We hypothesized that geriatric trauma patients are more likely to experience prolonged prehospital scene time than younger adults. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of the 2017 National Emergency Medical Services Information System. Patients who met anatomic or physiologic trauma criteria based on national triage guidelines were included (n = 16,356). Geriatric patients (age≥65, n = 3594) were compared to younger adults (age 18-64). The primary outcome was prolonged scene time (>10 min). Multivariable logistic regression was performed, controlling for patient demographics, on-scene treatments, and injury severity. RESULTS: Geriatric patients were more likely to experience prolonged scene time than younger adults after controlling for other factors (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.57-2.04, p < 0.001). The likelihood of prolonged scene time reached OR 2.29 (95% CI 1.85-2.84) for patients age 70-79 and OR 2.66 (95% CI 2.07-3.42) for patients age 80-89, relative to age 18-29. CONCLUSIONS: Geriatric trauma patients are more likely than younger adults to have prolonged prehospital scene time. This disparity may be caused by delayed recognition of injury severity or age-related cognitive biases.

Annual Incidence of Hospitalization for Nonfatal Firearm-Related Injuries in New York From 2005 to 2016.

Importance: In the US, approximately 40 000 people die due to firearm-related injuries annually. However, nonfatal firearm-related injuries are less precisely tracked. Objectives: To assess the annual incidence of hospitalization for nonfatal firearm-related injuries in New York and to compare the annual incidence by sex, race/ethnicity, county of residence, and calendar years. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cross-sectional study used data from the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System for patients aged 15 years or older who presented to an emergency department in New York with nonfatal firearm-related injuries from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2016. Data were analyzed from January 15, 2019, to April 21, 2021. Exposure: A nonfatal firearm-related injury, defined by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification and International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification codes. Main Outcomes and Measures: The annual incidence of nonfatal firearm-related injuries was calculated by determining the number of patients with a nonfatal firearm-related injury each year divided by the total population of New York. Results: The study included 31 060 unique patients with 35 059 hospital encounters for nonfatal firearm-related injuries. The mean (SD) age at admission was 28.5 (11.9) years; most patients were male (90.6%) and non-Hispanic Black individuals (62.0%). The overall annual incidence was 18.4 per 100 000 population. Although decreasing trends of annual incidence were observed across the state during the study period, this trend was not present in all 62 counties, with 32 counties (51.6%) having an increase in the incidence of injuries between 2005 and 2010 and 29 (46.8%) having an increase in the incidence of injuries between 2010 and 2015. In 19 of the 30 counties (63.3%) that had a decrease in incidence in earlier years, the incidence increased in later years. Conclusions and Relevance: The annual incidence of hospitalization for nonfatal firearm-related injuries in New York during the study period was 18.4 per 100 000 population. Reliable tracking of nonfatal firearm-related injury data may be useful for policy makers, hospital systems, community organizers, and public health officials as they consider resource allocation for trauma systems and injury prevention programs.

Contribution of unequal new patient referrals to female surgeon under-employment.

BACKGROUND: The literature shows that female surgeons have lower operative volumes than male surgeons. Since volume is dependent on new patient referrals for most surgeons, inequities in referrals may contribute to this employment disparity. METHODS: Using 1997-2018 data from a large medical center, we examined the number of new patient referrals for surgeons. Multivariate linear analysis was performed, adjusting for surgeon race, calendar year, seniority, and clinical subspecialty. RESULTS: A total of 121 surgeons across 12,410 surgeon-months were included. Overall, surgeons had a median of 14 new patient referrals per month (interquartile range (IQR) = 7, 27). On adjusted analysis, female surgeons saw 5.4 fewer new patient referrals per month (95% CI -6.4 to -4.5). CONCLUSION: Female surgeons, with equal training and seniority, received fewer new patient referrals than their male peers, and this may contribute to female surgeon under-employment. Surgeon gender may be one of the factors contributing to this differential referral pattern.

Underemployment of Female Surgeons?

OBJECTIVE: To compare the complexity of operations performed by female versus male surgeons. BACKGROUND: Prior literature has suggested that female surgeons are relatively underemployed when compared to male surgeons, with regards to operative case volume and specialization. METHODS: Operative case records from a large academic medical center from 1997 to 2018 were evaluated. The primary end point was work relative value unit (wRVU) for each case with a secondary end point of total wRVU per month for each surgeon. Multivariate linear analysis was performed, adjusting for surgeon race, calendar year, seniority, and clinical subspecialty. RESULTS: A total of 551,047 records were analyzed, from 131 surgeons and 13,666 surgeon-months. Among them, 104,424 (19.0%) of cases were performed by female surgeons, who make up 20.6% (n = 27) of the surgeon population, and 2879 (21.1%) of the surgeon months. On adjusted analysis, male surgeons earned an additional 1.65 wRVU per case, compared to female surgeons (95% confidence interval 1.57-1.74). Subset analyses found that sex disparity increased with surgeon seniority, and did not improve over the 20-year study period. CONCLUSIONS: Female surgeons perform less complex cases than their male peers, even after accounting for subspecialty and seniority. These sex differences are not due to availability from competing professional or familial obligations. Future work should focus on determining the cause and mitigating this underemployment of female surgeons.

Lack of Data-driven Treatment Guidelines and Wide Variation in Management of Chronic Pelvic Pain in Adolescents and Young Adults.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Current literature lacks data-driven guidelines for surgical treatment of adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients with chronic pelvic pain. We hypothesized that there is a significant variation in treatment of these patients, which might be an indicator of over- or undertreatment by some providers. DESIGN AND SETTING: We completed a retrospective population-based analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 1998 to 2016. PARTICIPANTS: We included AYA patients aged 9-25 years whose primary diagnosis was adenomyosis, endometriosis, or chronic pelvic pain. Patients who might have undergone pelvic or abdominal procedures for other primary diagnoses were excluded. INTERVENTIONS AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Trends of inpatient surgical intervention were calculated. Logistic regression was performed to determine the likelihood of undergoing an intervention, adjusted for patient demographic characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 13,111 AYA patients were analyzed. Median age at diagnosis was 22 (interquartile range, 20-24) years. The overall inpatient intervention rate was 5879/13111 (45.0%) (2445/5897 (18.6%) for excision/ablation, 2057/5897 (15.7%) for hysterectomy, 1239/5897 (9.5%) for diagnostic laparoscopy, and 156/5897 (1.2%) for biopsy). Rate of hysterectomy increased in the late 2000s while rates of all other interventions decreased. Patients in the northeast were less likely to undergo an intervention than patients in the rest of the country. Rates of intervention also differed according to race, insurance status, and type of hospital. CONCLUSION: There is wide variation in the use of surgical treatment for chronic pelvic pain in AYA patients across the country and between types of institutions. Of concern, the rate of hysterectomy has increased over time. There is a need for data-directed treatment guidelines for the management of AYA patients with chronic pelvic pain to ensure appropriate application of surgical treatments and expand high-value surgical care.

The impact of race on choice of location for elective surgical care in New York city.

BACKGROUND: The "white-flight" phenomenon of the mid-20th century contributed to the perpetuation of residential segregation in American society. In light of recent reports of racial segregation in our healthcare system, could a contemporary "white-flight" phenomenon also exist? METHODS: The New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System was used to identify all Manhattan and Bronx residents of New York city who underwent elective cardiothoracic, colorectal, general, and vascular surgeries from 2010 to 2016. Primary outcome was borough of surgical care in relation to patient's home borough. Multivariable analyses were performed. RESULTS: White patients who reside in the Bronx are significantly more likely than racial minorities to travel into Manhattan for elective surgical care, and these differences persist across different insurance types, including Medicare. CONCLUSIONS: Marked race-based differences in choice of location for elective surgical care exist in New York city. If left unchecked, these differences can contribute to furthering racial segregation within our healthcare system.

Beyond insurance: race-based disparities in the use of metabolic and bariatric surgery for the management of severe pediatric obesity.

BACKGROUND: It is unknown whether previously noted racial disparities in the use of metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) for the management of pediatric obesity could be mitigated by accounting for primary insurance. OBJECTIVES: To examine utilization of pediatric MBS across race and insurance in the United States. SETTING: Retrospective cross-sectional study. METHODS: The National Inpatient Sample was used to identify patients 12 to 19 years old undergoing MBS from 2015 to 2016, and these data were combined with national estimates of pediatric obesity obtained from the 2015 to 2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Severe obesity was defined as class III obesity, or class II obesity plus hypertension, dyslipidemia, or type 2 diabetes. RESULTS: A total of 1,659,507 (5.0%) adolescents with severe obesity were identified, consisting of 35.0% female, 38.0% white, and 45.0% privately insured adolescents. Over the same time period, 2535 MBS procedures were performed. Most surgical patients were female (77.5%), white (52.8%), and privately insured (57.5%). Black and Hispanic adolescents were less likely to undergo MBS than whites (odds ratio .50, .46, respectively; P < .001 both), despite adjusting for primary insurance. White adolescents covered by Medicaid were significantly more likely to undergo MBS than their privately insured counterparts (odds ratio 1.66; P < .001), while the opposite was true for black and Hispanic adolescents (odds ratio .29, .75, respectively; P < .001 both). CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric obesity disproportionately affects racial minorities, yet MBS is most often performed on white adolescents. Medicaid insurance further decreases the use of MBS among nonwhite adolescents, while paradoxically increasing it for whites, suggesting expansion of government-sponsored insurance alone is unlikely to eliminate this race-based disparity.

Practice patterns and work environments that influence gender inequality among academic surgeons.

BACKGROUND: Practice pattern and work environment differences may impact career advancement opportunities and contribute to the gender gap within highly competitive surgical specialties. METHODS: Using a 2000-2015 New York statewide dataset, we compared board-certified pediatric surgeons by specialist case volume and Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI), which quantifies surgeon focus within specialist case mix. RESULTS: 51 pediatric surgeons were analyzed for 461 surgeon-years. Female surgeons had lower case volume (159 cases/year versus 214, p < 0.01), lower shares of specialist cases (14.1% versus 16.7%, p = 0.04), and less focused practices (HHI 0.16 versus 0.20, p = 0.03). Female surgeons' networks had fewer colleagues (7.2 versus 12.1, p < 0.01), and lower annual total (388 versus 726, p < 0.01) and specialist case volume (83 versus 159, p < 0.01), even after accounting for career length. However, female surgeons performed more cases within their networks (49% versus 36%, p = 0.04) and worked at major teaching hospitals as often as men (76% versus 76%, p = 0.97). CONCLUSION: The challenges that female surgeons face may be reflective of organizational inequities that necessitate intentional scrutiny and change.