Androcentric bias in surgical equipment - What challenges do women face? (30 September 2023)

Summary

Increasing diversity amongst surgeons results in a wide range of sizes and strengths. There are many types of biases affecting women surgeons. This study evaluates what challenges women surgeons may have with surgical equipment. Key findings include:

• 89% of women surgeons report difficulty with surgical instruments due to size.
• 71% of women surgeons report difficulty with surgical instruments due to grip strength.

The study highlights a potential source of gender bias which could be addressed to improve equity for women surgeons.