Patient satisfaction with women vs men surgical interns and senior residents

Patient satisfaction is critical for referrals and reimbursement of surgical faculty but remains poorly characterized for residents. We investigated whether patient evaluations of surgical trainees vary by resident gender. Surgical inpatients evaluated surgical resident care postoperatively after positively identifying trainees. Evaluations (Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Surgical Care Surveys (S-CAHPS)) were scored by the “top-box” method, stratified by training level, and compared between women and men residents. Ninety-one percent of patients participated (n ​= ​324/357). Patients recognized women interns less than men (75.0 ​% vs 87.2 ​%, p ​= ​0.01). S-CAHPS scores for women vs men interns were equivalent except for spending sufficient time with patients (75.6 ​% vs 88.0 ​%, p ​= ​0.02). For senior residents, there was no difference in patient recognition of women vs men (83.9 ​% vs 85.2 ​%, p ​= ​0.91) or in any S-CAHPS scores (p ​> ​0.05). Gendered differences in patient evaluations of surgical trainees exist for interns but resolve by senior years. Future work should explore how patient evaluations can support trainee development while ensuring patients recognize the role of surgical residents regardless of gender. [Display omitted] •Compared patient satisfaction with men vs women surgical residents stratified by trainee level.•Women surgical interns were recognized by patients at a lower rate than men interns.•Fewer patients feel that women surgical interns spend sufficient time with them.•Patient satisfaction survey responses do not differ based on senior residents' gender.•Patient evaluations of surgical trainees have potential as a relatively unbiased source of resident feedback.