Women in interventional radiology - Exploring Australia's gender gap.

Abstract

Purpose: Worldwide, women are grossly underrepresented in inter-ventional radiology (IR)0.1-7 This trend is consistent in Australia, where the latest Clinical Radiology Workforce Census recorded no women practicing in IR or interventional neuroradiology.8 Given that gender equality amongst healthcare professionals can lead to a safer workplace, more equitable access to healthcare, and better patient outcomes, it is important to identify and correct factors leading to this gender gap.1,9 As such, we aim to compare exposure, knowledge, interest, and impressions of IR between male and female medical students and junior doctors (interns and residents). Methods and Materials: Multicentre prospective cross-sectional study using in-person and web-based distribution of a voluntary anonymous survey to junior doctors (interns and residents). 333 complete responses were received from 11 health services across 2 Australian states. Results were compared to those of our previous study, Australian students' perspective on interventional radiology education: a prospective cross-institutional study (ASPIRE), which employed a similar study design and survey aimed at medical students.11 Results: In the medical student and junior doctor populations, both males and females similarly reported: low levels of teaching and exposure to IR; strong belief in the importance of IR; suboptimal knowledge in IR; and poor awareness about careers in IR. Nonetheless, females were significantly less likely to consider a career in IR, whether as medical students (24.8% vs 41%, p = 0.008) or junior doctors (13.1% vs 29.7%, p < 0.001). Conclusion(s): Several years preceding specialization, females from medical school through to residency persistently express significantly less interest in pursuing IR compared to their male counterparts. This is not explained by disparities in opportunities or knowledge in IR, therefore, it is more likely that sociocultural factors or concerns about radiation exposure underpin the current lack of female inter-ventional radiologists.3-8.12 In order to improve the practice of IR through greater female representation, further studies are required to evaluate female doctors' beliefs about factors such as lifestyle, patient contact, and radiation that dissuade them from a career in IR.