Podcast Devesh Rai, MD @DeveshRaiMD @ROCRegional @InstituteSands Gender Differences In Intl Cardiology Guideline

Devesh Rai, MD, Cardiovascular Disease Fellow at Rochester General Hospital. In this video, he speaks about the Gender Differences in International Cardiology Guideline Authorship: A Comparison of the US, Canadian, and European Cardiology Guidelines From 2006 to 2020.

Outline

Origins:

Women continue to be underrepresented in cardiology, and much more so in positions of leadership. From 2006 to 2020, we looked at trends and gender inequalities in the guideline writing groups of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA), Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS), and European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Approaches and outcomes:

We gathered all guidelines writers from 2006 to 2020, analyzed their gender based on publicly available profiles, and examined gender discrepancies across subspecialties and societies. Stratified and trend analyses were carried out utilizing 2 and the average annual percentage change/average five-year percentage change. A total of 80 ACC/AHA (1288 writers [28% women]), 64 CCS (988 authors [26% women]), and 59 ESC (1157 authors [16% women]) guidelines were examined. Women's inclusion increased significantly in ACC/AHA (12.6 percent [2006] to 42.6 percent [2020]; average annual percentage change, 6.6 percent [2.3 percent to 11.1 percent]; P=0.005) and ESC (7.1 percent [2006] to 25.8 percent [2020]; average annual percentage change, 6.6 percent [0.2 percent to 13.5 percent]; P=0.04), but remained similar in CCS (20.6 percent [2006] to 36.3 percent [2020]; average annual percentage change, When women chaired guidelines, more women were coauthors in the ACC/AHA and ESC guidelines. Except for pediatric cardiology and heart failure recommendations, there was a continuing gender disparity among guideline writers in general cardiology and all subspecialties. Women writers were appointed to chairs at a significantly lower rate in all societies (22.4 percent [ACC/AHA], 16.9 percent [CCS], and 7.2 percent [ESC]; P=0.008).

Findings:

In addition to acting as a chair of cardiology guidelines, there is a considerable gap in the involvement of women on all national guideline committees. More lobbying is needed to promote fairness, diversity, and inclusion in our cardiology guidelines around the world.