Annals of Surgery | 2021
Gender Parity Does Not Equal Gender Equity: Continued Sexism in Medical Literature.
Abstract
A recently published and retracted article from the Journal of Vascular Surgery (JVS) created a viral social media movement using the #MedBikini hashtag. Medical professionals on social media were shocked at the authors’ judgment of surgeons’ appearance and actions on public social media profiles. The authors extrapolated that ‘‘potentially inappropriate attire included [. . .] provocative posing in bikinis/swimwear.’’ The gender most associated with bikinis is female. Consequently, this sentence was interpreted as sexist, and this set off a tweetstorm. The Twitter hashtag #MedBikini quickly trended, with health professionals criticizing the article. The JVS article and the subsequent backlash highlight implicit bias and sexism in medicine. Many organizations attempting to define professionalism in social media refer to platforms that physicians or other healthcare professionals use specifically for healthcare-related content. Professionalism, as defined by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in its common program requirements for residencies, says trainees must demonstrate a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities and an adherence to ethical principles, specifically: ‘‘compassion, integrity, and respect for others; responsiveness to patient needs that supersedes self-interest; respect for patient privacy and autonomy; accountability to patients, society, and the profession; [and] sensitivity and responsiveness to a diverse patient population, including but not limited to diversity in gender, age, culture, race, religion, disabilities, and sexual orientation.’’ As defined by the ACGME, professionalism does not describe specific attire or choice of appearance. While the American Medical Association (AMA) Code of Medical Ethics opinion on professionalism in the use of social media states that ‘‘physicians must recognize that actions and content posted may negatively affect their reputations among patients and colleagues [. . .] and can undermine public trust in the medical profession,’’ no specific statement is made regarding what is deemed appropriate – or inappropriate – attire. The aforementioned JVS article used questionable methods,