Introduction

Work-life integration is a critical issue many individuals face in the workforce, particularly in professions with high demands, such as healthcare. Physicians, in particular, experience significant challenges in managing their professional and personal lives due to long work hours, unpredictable schedules, and the emotional toll of caring for patients. The resulting work-life conflicts can negatively impact their well-being, job satisfaction, and patient care. Despite recognizing this issue, there is still a lack of research on the extent of work-life conflicts and their effects on physicians.

Aims & Methods

We distributed a voluntary and anonymous survey via e-mail to all members of the German Society for Digestive and Metabolic Diseases (DGVS - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gastroenterologie, Verdauungs- und Stoffwechselerkrankungen). Sociodemographics and data on parental status, number of children, and used support structures were gathered. The Work-Family Conflict Scale (ISSP) was used to measure the compatibility of family and job. Query logic branched depending on responses, and single and multiple-choice questions were used, as well as Likert scales.

Results

At the point of this interim analysis, 586 respondents finished the survey and were included for statistical analysis. Of the respondents, 45% were women, 71% were parents, and 60.3% had children living in the household. The mean age was 47 years (SD 11,0). In most cases, respondents lived with a working partner (93%), with male respondents more likely to have a stay-at-home partner (8,9% versus 2,9%). A corresponding trend was observed in partners working part-time (Overall: 41.5%. Partners of male physicians 58,9%, partners of female physicians 17,2%). In the ISSP, there were high levels of work-life conflict (scale 1-4, average work/life 3,06 life/work 1,79). Female respondents reported statistically significantly higher work/life, but only numerically higher life/work conflicts than male respondents. (work/life 3,18 versus 2,94, p ˂ 0.001; life/work 1,88 versus 1,77 p = 0.080; two tailed Chi Square). Parents were affected significantly more often by work-life and life-work conflicts.

Conclusion

This study provides valuable insights into the challenges faced by physicians in balancing their professional and personal lives. Finding ways to manage work-life conflicts and maintain a healthy balance is critical for the well-being and longevity of physicians, as well as the quality of care they provide to their patients. Healthcare employers should support their employees in achieving a satisfactory work-life balance.

Introduction

Gastroenterologists generally undergo gastroenterology (GI) training during their childbearing years, making pregnancy while training a highly important topic regarding family-work balance. The aim of this study is to assess the challenges GI trainees encounter during pregnancy and parenthood.

Aims & Methods

A questionnaire was sent out via social media and email, targeting doctors who were pregnant or had a pregnant partner during their GI training in the last 10 years.

Results

Forty-six women (mean age 35.5 ±3.76, 93.4% from European countries). Of these, 56.5% had one pregnancy during training, 30.4% had two and 13.1% had three pregnancies. Fifteen males (mean age 35.2 ±3.76, 93.3% from European countries) also answered the questionnaire. Age at first pregnancy was similar between males (30.6 years) and females (30.5 years).
Most women (84.7%) reported worrying that they would be perceived negatively when they asked for changes in their work schedule due to the pregnancy. While 67.4% reported that their colleagues were accommodating, only 56.5% felt that it was easy to talk to their training coordinators about the pregnancy. Furthermore, 69.5% were concerned that the pregnancy would negatively impact their training.
Nearly all women participants (97.8%) were working more than 40 hours before the pregnancy. Of these, 78.2%, 63% and 32.6% continued to work more than 40 hours per week in the first, second and third trimesters, respectively. Worryingly, 56.5% had at least one complication during pregnancy or delivery. Participants reported several hazards that weren’t addressed during pregnancy, namely exposure to non-scavenged anaesthetic gases (47.8%), scope locator (36.9%), blood-borne illnesses (34.8%) and radiation (15.2%), and long endoscopy sessions (28.2%).
Of the participants who had returned to work after the birth of the child (n=44 females, n=15 males), men worked full-time more often than women (92.9% vs 59.5%, p=0.02).
Both genders had difficulty coping with parenthood, with only 19% of women and 33.3% of men stating that it was easy to adapt to being back at work and having a young child (p=0.25). They also reported feeling less productive at work than before (females: 54.8%, males: 40%, p=0.32).
Regarding the responsibility of caring for the child when they are unwell, 92.9% of the men reported that the child is taken care of by the other partner. In contrast, women reported it was themselves (36.4%) or other relatives (34.1%) who took care of the child; only 12.6% stated it was her partner who did it. Women reported feeling guilty towards colleagues for taking time off work to be with their child (35% females vs 6.7% males, p=0.03.)
Trainees felt that having children will impair their career progress (56.1% females, 40% males, p=0.29). However, females were more often convinced that having children made them appear less ambitious than their peers (60.4%), compared to males (26.7%), (p=0.02).

Conclusion

Pregnant trainees face numerous concerns during their pregnancy, both physical and psychological. Training centres need to carry out a formal risk assessment for all pregnant trainees to address possible hazards. Whilst parenthood strongly impacts on both male and female trainees, women tend to carry more burden regarding care for the child. There is the need to support and normalize pregnancy and parenthood during training, to achieve a healthy family-life-work balance.

Introduction

The number of women choosing surgical and interventional specialties is rising in South Asia. Women in medicine, including gastroenterology, face unique challenges, including gender bias, work-life imbalance, and occupational radiation exposure affecting their training and practice (1,2). There are few studies on the impact of gender-related factors on training and career advancement in gastroenterology in the South Asian subcontinent.

Aims & Methods

The aim was to study the impact of gender on training, career advancement and to understand perceptions of work-life balance and beliefs regarding gender dynamics among gastroenterologists of South Asia. A web-based survey was conducted among trainees and attending physicians of South Asia from 15th November 2021 to 30th March 2022. The survey instrument had four components: demographic features, training in gastroenterology, career advancement in gastroenterology, and work-life balance.

Results

A total of 622 gastroenterologists completed the survey (mean age: 40.65 years; females: 13.18%). Most respondents believed hands-on training (83.2%) and mentorship (56.1%) were important for endoscopy training. Mentorship from a same-gender person was deemed important more often by males as compared to females (18.7% vs. 4.9%, p=0.006).A higher proportion of female respondents believed that gender bias in recruiting and training had negatively impacted their career (37.8% vs 1.9%, p<0.001). Lack of ergonomically designed equipment (9.8% vs 4.3%, p=0.03), radiation hazard (13.4% vs 2.2 %, p<0.001), and as a general health concern (13.4% vs 5.2%, p=0.004) were listed as a significant career deterrent by a higher proportion of females. A higher proportion of males had been in leadership positions in the past five years (36.7% vs 23.2%, p=0.017). A higher proportion of female participants faced an interruption in their career (55% vs 32.7%, p= <0.0001), with the most common reasons being pregnancy (25%) and childcare provision (22%). Male respondents reported a perception that women were promoted at a faster rate than men (32.4% vs 12.2%, p<0.001) and were appreciated more for performing the same tasks (58.9% vs 24.4%, p<0.001). They also believed that men were inherently better at administrative and leadership tasks (51.4 vs 34.1%, p=0.001).More females believed that women were more productive than men (48.8% vs 20.4%, p<0.001) and that a salary gap existed (42.7% vs 28%, p=0.002). Females more often experienced burnout as compared to males (67.1% vs 51.3%, p=0.008). A higher proportion of female participants believed that their workplace commitments had negatively impacted their family planning and parental responsibilities (45.1% vs 38.3%, p=0.024). Similarly, a higher proportion of females believed that their family and childcare commitments had affected career advancement (22% vs 13.1%, p<0.001)

Conclusion

Hands on training and mentorship are considered as important factors for endoscopy training. Gender related factors negatively impact training and career growth of female gastroenterologists. Domestic responsibilities weigh down female gastroenterologists significantly. Views on gender disparity significantly differ between the two genders. A high proportion of gastroenterologists have experienced burnout in the past year. Purposeful steps from leaders and mentors may help in creating a more gender equitable workplace for young gastroenterologists

References

1. Rabinowitz LG. Recognizing Blind Spots - A Remedy for Gender Bias in Medicine? N Engl J Med. 2018;378(24):2253-5.
2. David YN, Dixon RE, Kakked G, et al. Gender-Specific Factors Influencing Gastroenterologists to Pursue Careers in Advanced Endoscopy: Perceptions vs Reality. Am J Gastroenterol. 2021;116(3):539-50.