TY - JOUR
T1 - Diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia
T2 - A mixed methods assessment
AU - Reece-Nguyen, Travis L.
AU - Lee, Helen H.
AU - Garcia-Marcinkiewicz, Annery G.
AU - Szolnoki, Judit
AU - Fernandez, Allison M.
AU - Mukkamala, Shivani
AU - Lalwani, Kirk
AU - Deutsch, Nina
AU - Jimenez, Nathalia
N1 - Funding Information:
Today in the United States, 40% of the pediatric population identifies as Black or Hispanic. Our study reveals a significant racial and ethnic representation gap exists since only 13.6% of survey respondents identify as Black or Hispanic themselves (6.3% and 7.3%, respectively). These findings closely mirror the racial and ethnic composition of pediatric anesthesiology fellowship training programs in which 13.5% of fellows are Black or Hispanic (5.4% and 8.1%). However, when compared to US medical school matriculants, 9.4% identified as Black and 6.9% as Hispanic, representing 16.3% of all first‐year medical students. Interestingly, according to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), only 9.6% of anesthesiology residents in 2021 were Black or Hispanic (5% and 4.6%) which points to a significant gap in representation and a failure to recruit Black and Hispanic applicants at the residency level. Although these percentages cannot be directly compared from different years, the percentages of racial and ethnic minority trainees over the past few years have remained relatively stagnant at each level of training. Unfortunately, anesthesiology residency programs have been relatively ineffective in recruiting Black and Hispanic medical students which is seen in the lower representation of Black/Hispanic trainees in anesthesiology residency (9.6%) versus first‐year medical students (16.3%). This represents a key area for improving diversity and needs to be prioritized if we hope to address the large representation gap between pediatric anesthesiologists and our diverse patient populations. Pathway programs and racial/ethnic minority mentorship programs are a proven method to recruit and support URM trainees and should be financially supported by anesthesiology departments and national organizations. Because racial/ethnic representation in the provider workforce is associated with better patient outcomes, there is a role for SPA to identify and support additional programs to continue increasing URM recruitment into anesthesiology. These efforts could focus on medical schools and continue throughout subspecialty recruitment during anesthesiology residency. 10 18 10 19
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Background: Leadership of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia created the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee in 2018 to prioritize diversity work. The Society for Pediatric Anesthesia-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee implemented a baseline survey of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia membership in 2020 to assess demographics, equity in leadership, inclusivity, and attitudes toward diversity work. The Society for Pediatric Anesthesia plays a significant role in shaping the future of pediatric anesthesiology and in supporting our diverse pediatric patients. Methods: This study is an IRB-exempt, cross-sectional survey of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia membership. Quantitative analysis provided descriptive statistics of demographics, practice characteristics, and involvement within the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia. Qualitative thematic analysis provided an in-depth assessment of perceptions of diversity, challenges faced, and prioritization of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts within the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia. Results: Out of 3 242 Society for Pediatric Anesthesia members, 1 232 completed the survey representing 38% of overall membership. Respondents were 89.2% United States members, 52.7% female, 55.7% non-Hispanic White, 88.6% heterosexual, 95.7% non-military, 59.2% religious, and 2.1% have an Americans with Disabilities Act recognized disability. All major United States geographical areas were represented equally with 71% practicing in urban areas and 67% in academic settings. Ethnic/racial minorities were more likely to be international medical graduates (p <.001). Among United States members, 41.5% report being fluent in a language other than English, and 23.5% of those fluent in another language are certified to interpret. Compared to men, women are less likely to be in leadership roles (p <.003), but we found no difference in participation and leadership when stratified by race/ethnicity, geography, international medical graduate status, or sexuality. Racial/ethnic minorities (p <.028), women (p <.001), and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer members (p <.044) more frequently hold lower academic rank positions when compared to white, heterosexual, and male members. Half of respondents were unsure whether diversity, equity, and inclusion challenges existed within the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia while the other half demonstrated opposing views. Among those who reported diversity, equity, and inclusion challenges, the themes centered around persistent marginalization, the need for more inclusive policies and increased psychological safety, and lack of leadership diversity. Conclusions: Compared to the diversity of the pediatric population we serve, there are still significant gaps in demographic representation within the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia. As well, there is no consensus among Society for Pediatric Anesthesia membership regarding perceptions of diversity, equity, and inclusion in pediatric anesthesia in the United States. Among those who reported diversity challenges, opportunities for the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia and Anesthesiology Departments to better support minoritized members included bolstering workforce diversity efforts and awareness via more inclusive policies, improved psychological safety, and increasing diversity in leadership. If pediatric anesthesiology is like other specialties, gaining consensus and improving diversity in the workforce might advance pediatric anesthesia innovation, quality, and safety for children of all backgrounds in the United States.
AB - Background: Leadership of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia created the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee in 2018 to prioritize diversity work. The Society for Pediatric Anesthesia-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee implemented a baseline survey of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia membership in 2020 to assess demographics, equity in leadership, inclusivity, and attitudes toward diversity work. The Society for Pediatric Anesthesia plays a significant role in shaping the future of pediatric anesthesiology and in supporting our diverse pediatric patients. Methods: This study is an IRB-exempt, cross-sectional survey of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia membership. Quantitative analysis provided descriptive statistics of demographics, practice characteristics, and involvement within the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia. Qualitative thematic analysis provided an in-depth assessment of perceptions of diversity, challenges faced, and prioritization of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts within the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia. Results: Out of 3 242 Society for Pediatric Anesthesia members, 1 232 completed the survey representing 38% of overall membership. Respondents were 89.2% United States members, 52.7% female, 55.7% non-Hispanic White, 88.6% heterosexual, 95.7% non-military, 59.2% religious, and 2.1% have an Americans with Disabilities Act recognized disability. All major United States geographical areas were represented equally with 71% practicing in urban areas and 67% in academic settings. Ethnic/racial minorities were more likely to be international medical graduates (p <.001). Among United States members, 41.5% report being fluent in a language other than English, and 23.5% of those fluent in another language are certified to interpret. Compared to men, women are less likely to be in leadership roles (p <.003), but we found no difference in participation and leadership when stratified by race/ethnicity, geography, international medical graduate status, or sexuality. Racial/ethnic minorities (p <.028), women (p <.001), and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer members (p <.044) more frequently hold lower academic rank positions when compared to white, heterosexual, and male members. Half of respondents were unsure whether diversity, equity, and inclusion challenges existed within the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia while the other half demonstrated opposing views. Among those who reported diversity, equity, and inclusion challenges, the themes centered around persistent marginalization, the need for more inclusive policies and increased psychological safety, and lack of leadership diversity. Conclusions: Compared to the diversity of the pediatric population we serve, there are still significant gaps in demographic representation within the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia. As well, there is no consensus among Society for Pediatric Anesthesia membership regarding perceptions of diversity, equity, and inclusion in pediatric anesthesia in the United States. Among those who reported diversity challenges, opportunities for the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia and Anesthesiology Departments to better support minoritized members included bolstering workforce diversity efforts and awareness via more inclusive policies, improved psychological safety, and increasing diversity in leadership. If pediatric anesthesiology is like other specialties, gaining consensus and improving diversity in the workforce might advance pediatric anesthesia innovation, quality, and safety for children of all backgrounds in the United States.
KW - DEI
KW - diversity
KW - equity
KW - inclusion
KW - pediatric anesthesiology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85147511285&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1111/pan.14642
DO - 10.1111/pan.14642
M3 - Article
C2 - 36715575
AN - SCOPUS:85147511285
SN - 1155-5645
JO - Paediatric Anaesthesia
JF - Paediatric Anaesthesia
ER -