Women in Anaesthesia and Critical Care: a narrative review of their impact on Patient Care, Research Innovation, and Team Performance.

Abstract

Background: Despite the growing proportion of female doctors, gender imbalance persists in Anaesthesia and Critical Care (ACC).

Purpose: To provide an overview of gender imbalance incidence and consequences in ACC, focusing on the impact of female ACC physicians on patient care, research, and team performance.

Methods: Narrative review based on a comprehensive search on gender parity performed using Medline/PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar.

Main findings: Several high-level studies show that female physicians consistently achieve better patient outcomes, with greater benefits for female patients. In research, female ACC physicians contribute significantly to women's health: female-led teams are more likely to include women in clinical trials and to analyse gender-disaggregated data, leading to improved medical knowledge for women. The presence of female ACC physicians also improves global team performance: medical teams with more female physicians report better patient outcomes overall, and gender-balanced research teams produce more innovative and impactful studies. In leadership roles, women drive better team engagement and decision-making, improving individual, team, and organisational performance. Finally, increasing the proportion of female physicians in ACC creates a virtuous circle by improving the recruitment of women into clinical and academic positions. Various measures have been reported to improve gender balance, particularly in institutional programmes. Artificial Intelligence, if not carefully managed, risks reinforcing gender biases, highlighting the need for ethical algorithm development.

Conclusions: Gender parity in ACC is a critical factor in improving medical care, research, and team performance. Achieving parity will lead to a more efficient healthcare system that benefits patients.