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An option for involving women in surgical specialties. The impact of modern technology.

Annamária Papp

PhD student

Doctoral School of Management and Business

Institute of Management and Organisational Science

Supervisors:

András István Kun PhD

associate professor

Klára Bíró MD, PhD

associate professor

Debrecen, 13.12.2024.

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Healthcare challenges I.

Source: Average life expectancy at birth in EU countries 1970-2020. WHO data. (self-edited)

Increasing demand and supply in the healthcare sector.�Average life expectancy at birth increases.�The average doctor/patient consultation rate in the EU is 6.7, while in Hungary it is 9.5 (Eurostat, 2021).

Joined before 2004

Joined after 2004

Average life expectancy at birth in EU countries (years)

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Healthcare challenges II.

Source: Number and percentage of doctors over 55 years of age in Hungary between 2001 and 2022. Based on HCSO data (updated: 20.04.2023) (self-edited)

The age pyramid of the Hungarian medical community is ageing.
The geographical distribution of doctors in Hungary is characterized by inequality, which shows an even more serious picture in relation to individual specialties.
WHO estimates that there will be a shortage of 10 million health workers globally by 2030.
The health condition of the medical community is also worse than that of the average Hungarian population.

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Structural change in the workforce

According to AAMC data, more women than men enroll in medical schools in the US.

Source: Number of doctors under the age of 29 participating in resident training by gender in Hungary (2002-2022). Based on HCSO data (updated: 20.04.2023) (self-editied).

In Hungary:

�Female dominance in medical specialist training.

�In some medical specialties, labour shortages are associated with the overrepresentation of men.

Number of doctors under the age of 29 participating in specialist training in Hungary by gender (2002-2022) .

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Gender distribution of participants in surgical specialist training in the Northern Hungary region

Source: Gender distribution of participants in surgical specialist training in the Northern Hungary region. Self-edited based on data from the UD Centre for Specialisation and Further Education (2023)

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What could be the reason for this?

Incompatibility with other female roles. �Social stereotypes.�Some gender-related characteristics of women do not make them competent.�Lack of manual skills required for surgery.

Opportunities of the female gender as a potential labor force in surgery.

Robotic surgery technology.

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The potential of robotic surgery

Ergonomics.�Physiological hand tremor Ø.�3D visualization.�Better manual dexterity.�Degree of freedom of movement.�The base effect.�Fine scaling of movements.

MINIMAL INVASIVENESS

Decreasing burden:�Doctor�Patient�Nurse

Before presenting our research, I will present in a few words the beneficial properties of the tools used in robotic assisted surgery, which facilitate the work of surgeons and medical staff and reduce the burden of disease on patients and society. One of the most significant of these properties is minimal invasiveness. On the one hand, this reduces the number of complications and nursing days, which makes the work of nurses and doctors involved in nursing more efficient. Another advantage of the device is that during the procedure, the doctor's work takes place in an ergonomic environment, so the surgeon is not burdened either by the uncomfortable position or by the use of instruments that may not be designed for the doctor's hand dimensions. It is also beneficial for the patient, as the number of days missed from work is reduced. The patient can return to everyday activities sooner, which is also beneficial for society.

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Objectives

The focus and questions of our study:�Assessing women's manuality�Comparing women's outcomes to men's�Assessment of mental characteristics�Do mental qualities affect manual skills

For a number of reasons previously described, the number of doctor-patient encounters increases, which increases the workload. This could be solved by expanding medical education, which has happened in recent decades in almost all EU countries. Among the increasing number of students, an increase in the proportion of women can be observed. Still, there are areas overrepresented by men, which could be a serious problem in the future.

The gender ratio of VET participants is not reflected in the gender ratio of surgical professionals. As I mentioned, a wide range of causes have been identified behind this phenomenon. We wanted to know whether the introduction of robotics into surgery could theoretically provide a solution to the problem. Therefore, we examined the manual and mental skills of female medical students and compared them to those of male medical students.

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The device

The study was carried out with the INTUITIV Davinci XI surgical robot and the Davinci simulation unit. �It is a market leader in robotic surgery.�The most significant number of robotic surgeries worldwide are performed with one of the generations of this device.�Davinci offers the possibility of application to most specialties.

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Manuality tests

DE KK RKEB 6775-2024

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Questionnaire study

Demographic questionnaire

Personality test

Impact assessment

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Pre-registration

The possibility of pre-registration was given to all students of the faculty.�The gender ratio of applicants did not reflect the gender ratio of students.

By grade

By gender

We recorded data by grade, gender and age.

Male

Female

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After the statistical processing of the recorded data series, we can get an answer to our question whether RAS as a new technology can provide a solution to the new and difficult labour market challenges of healthcare.

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The test in pictures

Thank you for your kind attention!