Comparison of postoperative outcomes among patients treated by male and female surgeons: a population based matched cohort study

Objective To examine the effect of surgeon sex on postoperative outcomes of patients undergoing common surgical procedures. Design Population based, retrospective, matched cohort study from 2007 to 2015. Setting Population based cohort of all patients treated in Ontario, Canada. Participants Patients undergoing one of 25 surgical procedures performed by a female surgeon were matched by patient age, patient sex, comorbidity, surgeon volume, surgeon age, and hospital to patients undergoing the same operation by a male surgeon. Interventions Sex of treating surgeon. Main outcome measure The primary outcome was a composite of death, readmission, and complications. We compared outcomes…