In a male dominated industry, female surgeons spend more time in the operating room and their patients endure fewer postoperative complications. That’s the conclusion of two research studies published Wednesday in JAMA Surgery. Researchers found better outcomes for patients treated by female surgeons in the sweeping reviews of millions of procedures in Canada and Sweden. 

In this cohort study of 1 million patients, those treated by a female surgeon were less likely to experience death, hospital readmission, or major medical complication at 90 days or 1 year after surgery. This association was seen across nearly all subgroups defined by patient, surgeon, hospital, and procedure characteristics.