scholarly journals Women in surgery: a systematic review of 25 years

BMJ Leader ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. leader-2019-000199
Author(s):  
Charleen Singh ◽  
Caitlin Loseth ◽  
Noordeen Shoqirat

The number of women entering medicine significantly increased over the last decades. Currently, over half of the medical students are women but less than half are applying to surgery and even less go on to surgical specialties. Even fewer women are seen in leadership roles throughout the profession of surgery and surgical residency. Our purpose of the literature review is to identify any themes, which would provide insight to the current phenomenon. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systemic Reviews and Meta-Analyses method for a systematic review of the literature over a 20-year period (1998–2018). Five broad themes were identified: education and recruitment, career development, impact of/on life around the globe and surgical subspecialties as areas of barriers for women entering or considering surgery. The systematic review suggests there are opportunities to improve and encourage women entering the profession of surgery as well as the quality of life for surgeons. Creating systems for mentorship across programmes, having policies to support work–life balance and recognising surgical training overlaps with childbearing years are key opportunities for improvement. Improving the current status in surgery will require direction from leadership.

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 159-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bastianina Contena ◽  
Stefano Taddei

Abstract. Borderline Intellectual Functioning (BIF) refers to a global IQ ranging from 71 to 84, and it represents a condition of clinical attention for its association with other disorders and its influence on the outcomes of treatments and, in general, quality of life and adaptation. Furthermore, its definition has changed over time causing a relevant clinical impact. For this reason, a systematic review of the literature on this topic can promote an understanding of what has been studied, and can differentiate what is currently attributable to BIF from that which cannot be associated with this kind of intellectual functioning. Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria, we have conducted a review of the literature about BIF. The results suggest that this condition is still associated with mental retardation, and only a few studies have focused specifically on this condition.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Faiza Siddiqui ◽  
Marija Barbateskovic ◽  
Sophie Juul ◽  
Kiran Kumar Katakam ◽  
Klaus Munkholm ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Major depression significantly impairs quality of life, increases the risk of suicide, and poses tremendous economic burden on individuals and societies. Duloxetine, a serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, is a widely prescribed antidepressant. The effects of duloxetine have, however, not been sufficiently assessed in earlier systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Methods/design A systematic review will be performed including randomised clinical trials comparing duloxetine with ‘active’ placebo, placebo or no intervention for adults with major depressive disorder. Bias domains will be assessed, an eight-step procedure will be used to assess if the thresholds for clinical significance are crossed. We will conduct meta-analyses. Trial sequential analysis will be conducted to control random errors, and the certainty of the evidence will be assessed using GRADE. To identify relevant trials, we will search Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, Excerpta Medica database, PsycINFO, Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index, Conference Proceedings Citation Index—Science and Conference Proceedings Citation Index—Social Science & Humanities. We will also search Chinese databases and Google Scholar. We will search all databases from their inception to the present. Two review authors will independently extract data and perform risk of bias assessment. Primary outcomes will be the difference in mean depression scores on Hamilton Depression Rating Scale between the intervention and control groups and serious adverse events. Secondary outcomes will be suicide, suicide-attempts, suicidal ideation, quality of life and non-serious adverse events. Discussion No former systematic review has systematically assessed the beneficial and harmful effects of duloxetine taking into account both the risks of random errors and the risks of systematic errors. Our review will help clinicians weigh the benefits of prescribing duloxetine against its adverse effects and make informed decisions. Systematic review registration PROSPERO 2016 CRD42016053931


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miss Charlotte L. Moss ◽  
Ajay Aggarwal ◽  
Asad Qureshi ◽  
Benjamin Taylor ◽  
Teresa Guerrero-Urbano ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Patient reported outcome measurements (PROMs) are emerging as an important component of patient management in the cancer setting, providing broad perspectives on patients’ quality of life and experience. The use of PROMs is, however, generally limited to the context of randomised control trials, as healthcare services are challenged to sustain high quality of care whilst facing increasing demand and financial shortfalls. We performed a systematic review of the literature to identify any oncological benefit of using PROMs and investigate the wider impact on patient experience, in cancers of the pelvic abdominal cavity specifically. Methods A systematic review of the literature was conducted using MEDLINE (Pubmed) and Ovid Gateway (Embase and Ovid) until April 2020. Studies investigating the oncological outcomes of PROMs were deemed suitable for inclusion. Results A total of 21 studies were included from 2167 screened articles. Various domains of quality of life (QoL) were identified as potential prognosticators for oncologic outcomes in cancers of the pelvic abdominal cavity, independent of other clinicopathological features of disease: 3 studies identified global QoL as a prognostic factor, 6 studies identified physical and role functioning, and 2 studies highlighted fatigue. In addition to improved outcomes, a number of included studies also reported that the use of PROMs enhanced both patient-clinician communication and patient satisfaction with care in the clinical setting. Conclusions This review highlights the necessity of routine collection of PROMs within the pelvic abdominal cancer setting to improve patient quality of life and outcomes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 182
Author(s):  
Hye-Rim Park ◽  
Inchae Park ◽  
Yen-Yoo You

Background/Objectives: The interest in work-life balance has increased in Korea since the low birthrate problem intensified in the 2000s, and recently, a 52-hour workweek has been implemented depending on the size of the company to ensure work-life balance. Companies are also adopting the direction and policies of the government to spread job redesign or organizational culture that can bring work-life balance. Work-life balance is seen as a paradigm for high performance in modern society. Activation of smart work, which is a system that can work anytime and anywhere without being bound by time and place, is inevitable. It is assumed that the quality of life of the members of the organization will be improved through smartwork activation, and that the improvement of the quality of life will soon increase the organizational performanceMethods/Statistical analysis: This study utilizes the original data from the 2018 Smartwork Survey conducted by the Korea Information Society Agency, targeting employees of businesses with five or more business units and CEOs of businesses or heads of departments responsible for introducing and operating smart work. The survey collected samples using stratified sampling methods, and the survey was conducted online and in writing to 1,700 people from October 8, 2018 for 27 days. Finally, 566 data were hypothesized through SPSS 21.0 and AMOS structural model analysis.Findings: As a result of analyzing the effect of smart work on organizational performance through the effect of quality on life, Smartwork activation affects organizational performance, and the improvement of quality of life through time saving and work efficiency due to smartwork affects organizational performance. Managers' interest was found to play a moderating role in the structural relationship between smartwork activation, quality of life and organizational performance.Improvements/Applications: This study suggests smartwork activation by empirically analyzing the effect of smartwork activation on organizational performance by the mediating effect of quality of life for employees of companies working in smart office environment.


Author(s):  
Cheryl Krauter

This chapter highlights and endorses a focus on continued progress in the area of integrative cancer care that assists the needs of the patients and also includes attention to the well-being of clinicians in cancer survivor care. Introducing a simple, relational structure that allows for both patients and clinicians to create a healing connection is one workable solution to the issues of quality survivorship care that can provide meaning and satisfaction to all concerned. The chapter provides evidence-based material on the vital importance of providing clinicians with meaningful support in their professional lives. It addresses their work–life balance and the importance of restoring their sense of personal meaning and quality of life to prevent burnout.


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