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. 2024 Aug 6;5(8):637-643.
doi: 10.1302/2633-1462.58.BJO-2024-0059.R1.

Gender diversity in the National Joint Registry

Diego Agustín Abelleyra Lastoria  1 , Laura Casey  2 , Rebecca Beni  1 , Alexa V Papanastasiou  3 , Arya A Kamyab  1 , Konstantinos Devetzis  1 , Chloe E H Scott  4 , Caroline B Hing  1
Affiliations

Gender diversity in the National Joint Registry

Diego Agustín Abelleyra Lastoria et al. Bone Jt Open. .

Abstract

Aims: Our primary aim was to establish the proportion of female orthopaedic consultants who perform arthroplasty via cases submitted to the National Joint Registry (NJR), which covers England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and Guernsey. Secondary aims included comparing time since specialist registration, private practice participation, and number of hospitals worked in between male and female surgeons.

Methods: Publicly available data from the NJR was extracted on the types of arthroplasty performed by each surgeon, and the number of procedures of each type undertaken. Each surgeon was cross-referenced with the General Medical Council (GMC) website, using GMC number to extract surgeon demographic data. These included sex, region of practice, and dates of full and specialist registration.

Results: Of 2,895 surgeons contributing to the NJR in 2023, 102 (4%) were female. The highest proportions of female surgeons were among those who performed elbow (n = 25; 5%), shoulder (n = 24; 4%), and ankle (n = 8; 4%) arthroplasty. Hip (n = 66; 3%) and knee arthroplasty (n = 39; 2%) had the lowest female representation. Female surgeons had been practising for a median of 10.4 years since specialist registration compared to 13.7 years for males (p < 0.001). Northern Ireland was the region with the highest proportion of female arthroplasty surgeons (8%). A greater proportion of male surgeons worked in private practice (63% vs 24%; p < 0.001) and in multiple hospitals (74% vs 40%; p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Only 4% of surgeons currently contributing cases to the NJR are female, with the highest proportion performing elbow arthroplasty (5%). Female orthopaedic surgeons in the NJR are earlier in their careers than male surgeons, and are less involved in private practice. There is a wide geographical variation in the proportion of female arthroplasty surgeons.

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Conflict of interest statement

C. B. Hing reports that the editorial stipend for The Knee for Elsevier is unrelated to this work. C. E. H. Scott declares a department grant and payment for education delivery from Stryker; consulting fees from Stryker, Smith & Nephew, and Osstec; being on the data safety monitoring board for the PASHION trial; and being a board member of The Bone & Joint Journal, all of which are also unrelated to this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Percentage of female orthopaedic surgeons according to region.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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