10 / 21
Ergonomics & Human factors 2018
Archives of Medicine
ISSN: 1989-5216
Page 28
July 26-27, 2018
Rome, Italy
1
st
Edition of International Conference on
Ergonomics &
Human Factors
Introduction:
Occupational-related gender differences have
been explored. Differences have also been revealed in relation
to workplace conflict and friendship patterns. Within healthcare,
variations in the structure of and delivery of services has also
been noted between male and female general practitioners.
We undertook a study to evaluate the distribution of commonly
performed medical tasks by gender amongst junior doctors in an
Irish context.
Methods:
Over a three-week period from September 25
th
to October 15
th
2017, a prospective study was conducted
amongst junior doctors in an acute Irish hospital. The number of
phlebotomy and cannulation tasks as well as electrocardiograph
(ECG) completion were gathered in a central database. Gender of
performing doctor was collected concurrently. Ethical approval
was obtained fromTrinity College Dublin.
Results:
Of the junior doctor sample (n=34), 19 were female and
15 were male. 537 phlebotomy tasks, 319 cannulation tasks
and 66 ECGs were performed. 60% of tasks (n=552) were done
by a female doctor. The average number of tasks performed by
a doctor according to gender is depicted in Figure 1. Notably,
female doctors were twice as likely as male doctors to complete
an ECG. Analysis of diurnal task frequency by gender revealed
that female doctors are almost twice as likely as male doctors
to phlebotomize a patient when compared with their male
counterparts (daytime phlebotomy task rate 7.0 versus 3.8 for
females and males respectively). ECG completion by a female
doctor was more than twice as likely during daytime shifts.
Conclusions:
Female junior doctors appear to complete more
medical tasks than their male colleagues. This was particularly
found for the task of ECG completion. Human factors such as
organizational attitudes to task distribution and approaches to
task completion may be influenced by gender.
Recent Publications
1. Davis M, Capobianco S and Kraus L (2010) Gender
differences in responding to conflict in the workplace:
evidence from a large sample of working adults. Sex
Roles. 63(7-8):500-514.
2. Morrison R L (2008) Are women tending and
befriending in the workplace? Gender differences in
the relationship between workplace friendships and
organizational outcomes. Sex Roles. 60(1-2):1-13.
3. Boerma W G, van den Brink Muinen A (2000) Gender-
related differences in the organization and provision
of services among general practitioners in Europe.
Medical Care. 38(10):993-1002.
Biography
Domhnall McGlacken Byrne graduated fromTrinity College Dublin, Republic
of Ireland in 2017. He is currently working at St. James’s Hospital, Dublin. He
wishes to pursue his medical career in the area of pediatrics
.
mcglackd@tcd.ieThe influence of gender on performance of common clinical
procedures in an acute Irish hospital
Domhnall McGlacken Byrne
1,2
, Lucy Chapman
1
and
Jack Tyrell
2
1
St. James’s Hospital, Republic of Ireland
2
Trinity College Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Domhnall McGlacken Byrne et al., Arch Med 2018, Volume 10
DOI: 10.21767/1989-5216-C1-002