Are our actions matching our words? A review of trainee ethnic and gender diversity in orthopaedic surgery

Rishi Trikha, MD; Logan Laubach, MS; Viraj Sharma, BA; Rachel Thompson, MD; Nicholas Bernthal, MD; Riley J. Williams, MD; Kristofer J. Jones, MD

Surgery Open Science (Mar 2024)

Are our actions matching our words? A review of trainee ethnic and gender diversity in orthopaedic surgery

Rishi Trikha, MD,
Logan Laubach, MS,
Viraj Sharma, BA,
Rachel Thompson, MD,
Nicholas Bernthal, MD,
Riley J. Williams, MD,
Kristofer J. Jones, MD

Affiliations

Rishi Trikha, MD: UCLA Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Corresponding author at: University of California, Los Angeles, 100 Medical Plaza, Suite 170, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Logan Laubach, MS: Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, 1201 E Marshall St #4-100, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
Viraj Sharma, BA: Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, 1201 E Marshall St #4-100, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
Rachel Thompson, MD: UCLA Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Nicholas Bernthal, MD: UCLA Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Riley J. Williams, MD: Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, Hospital for Special Surgery, 535 East 70th St, New York, NY 10021, USA
Kristofer J. Jones, MD: UCLA Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 18
pp. 62 – 69

Abstract

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Background: There is a lack of physician ethnic and gender diversity amongst surgical specialties. This study analyzes the literature that promotes diversity amongst surgical trainees. Specifically, this study sought to answer (i) how the number of publications regarding diversity in orthopaedic surgery compares to other surgical specialties, (ii) how the number of publications amongst all surgical subspecialties trends over time and (iii) which specific topics regarding diversity are discussed in the surgical literature. Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were used to query articles from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. Broad inclusion criteria for both ethnic and gender diversity of any surgical specialty were utilized. Results: Our query resulted 1429 publications, of which 408 duplicates were removed, and 701 were excluded on title and abstract screening, leaving 320 to be included. The highest number of related publications was in orthopaedic surgery (n = 73) followed by general surgery (n = 56). Out of 320 total articles, 260 (81.3 %) were published after 2015, and 56 of 73 (76.7 %) orthopaedic-specific articles were published after 2015. Conclusion: Orthopaedic surgery published the most about ethnic and gender diversity, however, still remains one of the least diverse surgical specialties. With the recent increase in publications on diversity in surgical training, close attention should be paid to ethnic and gender diversity amongst surgical trainees over the coming years. Should diversity remain stagnant, diversification efforts may need to be restructured to achieve a diverse surgeon workforce. Key message: Orthopaedic surgery is the surgical subspecialty that publishes the most about trainee ethnic and gender diversity followed by general surgery. With most of this literature being published over the last eight years, it is imperative to pay close attention to the ethnic and gender landscape of the surgeon workforce over the coming years.

Published in Surgery Open Science

ISSN: 2589-8450 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Medicine: Surgery
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/surgery-open-science/

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Abstract

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