Posters

Egyptian women in ophthalmology: cataract surgery training and subspecialty preference

Poster Details

First Author: D.Sobeih EGYPT

Co Author(s):    P. Cotran   S. MacDonald   Y. Saleh   W. Gafar           

Abstract Details

Purpose:

The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of gender on the pattern of cataract surgery training provided for female ophthalmologists working in Delta region of Egypt and compare it to the pattern of training given to male ophthalmologists.

Setting:

The current study was performed in Mansoura City and residents working in both university-affiliated hospitals and ministry of health were asked to fill in the survey.

Methods:

One hundred and thirty young ophthalmologists filled in a structured survey about cataract surgery training and subspecialty preference. Demographic characteristics like gender, marital status, the degree of education earned and whether they work in university or ministry of health hospital were collected and analyzed. Participants were also asked to answer questions regarding the number of cataract surgeries they performed annually as a part of their residency training. Residents’ satisfaction about their residency regarding cataract surgery and subspecialty training were also collected and analyzed. Moreover, the survey has evaluated the subspecialty intended to pursue after residency and the reasons behind that.

Results:

A total of 170 questionnaires were distributed among residents working in Delta. Of those, 120 have filled in the questionnaire giving a response rate of 70.5% (76 female and 44 male). Women showed a significantly lower rate of cataract surgeries performed during their residency training compared to men. Furthermore, the current study showed that women are less likely to choose surgical subspecialties in ophthalmology compared to men. The majority of female ophthalmologists participated in this study showed more interest in medical subspecialties.

Conclusions:

The results of this study highlight the impact of gender on residency training as well as subspecialty preference. In Egypt, ophthalmology is one the medical specialties pursued by more women than men. Policymakers need to consider the consequences of the inequality in the quality of surgical training provided to both men and women to avoid any potential shortage in the number of ophthalmologists available for surgical subspecialties.

Financial Disclosure:

None