Medical Journey Research Articles

Chronic Cough Medical Journey of Participants in a Phase 2b Study for Refractory Chronic Cough

Refractory chronic cough (RCC) is diagnosed through a process of exclusion, based on clinical investigations and trials of therapy. We report the relevant medical history of RCC patients enrolled in a dose-finding study of the P2X3 antagonist BLU-5937.

Prototyping of a Digital Life Course Care Platform for Preconception and Pregnancy Care: Pilot Feasibility and Acceptability Study.

A healthy lifestyle plays a key role in the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases, including subfertility and pregnancy complications. Although the benefits of a healthy lifestyle are well-known, long-term adherence is limited. Moreover, memory for lifestyle-related information as well as medical information provided by the medical professional is often poor and insufficient. In order to innovate and improve health care for both the patients and health care professionals, we developed a prototype of a digital life course care platform (Smarter Health app), providing personalized lifestyle care trajectories integrated in medical care journeys. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, defined as the actual app use, and the acceptability, which included patient satisfaction and appreciation, of the Smarter Health app. Between March 17, 2021, and September 30, 2021, pregnant women familiar with the Dutch language seeking tertiary preconception and pregnancy care were offered the app as part of standard medical care at the outpatient clinic Healthy Pregnancy of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Erasmus University Medical Center. Three months after activation of the app, patients received a digital questionnaire consisting of aspects of feasibility and acceptability. During this pilot study, 440 patients visited the outpatient clinic Healthy Pregnancy. Of the 440 patients, 293 (66.6%) activated the app. Of the 293 patients who activated the app, 125 (42.7%) filled out the questionnaire. Of these 125 patients, 48 (38.4%) used the app. Most app users used it occasionally and logged in 8 times during their medical care trajectory. Overall, app users were satisfied with the app (median 5-point Likert scale=2.4, IQR 2.0-3.3). Our findings showed that the Smarter Health app, which integrates lifestyle care in medical care, is a feasible health care innovation, and that patients were satisfied with the app. Follow-up and evaluation of pregnancy outcomes should be performed to further substantiate wider clinical implementation.

Medical Journey of Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mild Alzheimer's Disease Dementia: A Cross-sectional Survey of Patients, Care Partners, and Neurologists.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease presenting along a continuum ranging from asymptomatic disease to mild cognitive impairment (MCI), followed by dementia characterized as mild, moderate, or severe. To better understand the medical journey of patients with all-cause MCI or mild AD dementia from the perspective of patients, care partners, and physicians. Cross-sectional study. Online surveys in the United States between February 4, 2021, and March 1, 2021. 103 patients with all-cause MCI or mild AD dementia and 150 care partners participated in this survey. 301 physicians (75 of whom were neurologists) completed a survey. The surveys included questions regarding attitudes, experiences, and behaviors related to diagnosis and management of MCI and mild AD dementia. For the patient and care partner surveys, questions regarding healthcare received for MCI and mild AD dementia were only asked of care partners. Most patients (73%) had a similar medical journey. The majority (64%) initially consulted a primary care physician on average 15 months after symptom onset, with symptoms primarily consisting of forgetfulness and short-term memory loss. About half (51%) of patients in the typical medical journey were diagnosed by a neurologist. Upon diagnosis, most neurologists reported having discussions with patients and care partners about the potential causes of MCI or mild AD dementia (83%); of these physicians, 83% explained the effect other conditions have on the risk of the diagnoses and symptom progression. Neurologists (52%) consider themselves the coordinator of care for patients with MCI or mild AD dementia. Amongst patients and care partners, about one-third (35%) perceive the neurologists to be the coordinating physician. Neurologists commonly diagnose MCI and mild AD dementia but are typically not the first point of contact in the medical journey, and patients do not consult with a physician for over a year after symptom onset. Neurologists play a key role in the medical journey for patients and care partners, and could help ensure earlier diagnosis and treatment, and improve clinical outcomes by coordinating MCI and mild AD dementia care and collaborating with primary care physicians.

A seamless healthcare platform for total connectivity throughout the patient's medical journey

The proposed smart patient healthcare interface platform seamlessly follows the patient from the first consult, through surgery, and recovery at home. The current state-of-the-art is very fragmented, and certain portions of the patients' journey are not recorded for review by the clinicians, that if recorded could improve patient outcomes. The seamless healthcare platform (SHP) is designed for integration to existing hospital electronic medical platforms. This is part of a grand vision to build connectivity between patients and clinicians such that there are no walls or boundaries while delivering quality healthcare at low-cost. A physical device was developed as a proof-of-concept, along with the software, and was validated at a hospital. It was shown that the data collected was reliable and useful in creating a two-way communication between the patient and the healthcare provider, thereby improving the overall quality of healthcare provided.

A seamless healthcare platform for total connectivity throughout the patient's medical journey

A seamless healthcare platform for total connectivity throughout the patient's medical journey

Narratives of a Struggle: the Experience of Assisted Reproductive Medicine in Online Infertility Communities

"Narratives of a Struggle: The Experience of Assisted Reproductive Medicine in Online Infertility Communities. Although ART (assisted reproductive technology) has become a well-established field in modern medicine, the subject is still taboo in many modern societies. This prompted infertility patients (roughly 15-20% of the general adult population) to find online platforms to discuss options, treatments, experiences and create virtual communities – mainly forums and Facebook groups. I shall focus on aspects concerning the narratives of trauma, loss and empowerment in two online communities - Infertilitate. Fertilizare in vitro. Sustinem Asociatia SOS Infertilitatea (Infertility. In vitro fertilization. We support the SOS Infertility Association) and Fertility Friends, from two different geographical areas – the UK and Romania, in order to reveal the dynamics of advice giving, information sharing, experience narratives and patient support. Communication is paramount to infertility treatment, yet specialized clinics often underestimate the importance of this aspect. Online forums and social media have provided patients with opportunities to connect, shaping particular jargons and textual strategies with regard to the medical journey of ART. I intend to outline the structure and relevance of these verbal constructs, in order to explore the specific manner in which online platforms offer a valid environment for a positive exchange of information among ART patients while also creating a medium of emotional support. My interdisciplinary focus will involve methods specific to medical humanities, text and discourse analysis and linguistic commentary. Keywords: assisted reproduction, infertility, loss, online communities, support groups, trauma "

The Neurologist’s Role in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mild Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia

AbstractBackgroundAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease and the most common cause of dementia. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) affects >10% of US adults over the age of 70 and represents a transitional stage between healthy aging and dementia. Multiple factors influence the path to care through the health system. This study sought to better understand the medical journey of patients with all‐cause MCI and mild AD dementia (ADD) to identify opportunities for improvement.MethodAn anonymous online survey was conducted in a cross‐sectional US‐population of 103 patients with self‐reported diagnosis of MCI/mild ADD, 150 care partners of patients with MCI/mild ADD, and 75 neurologists.ResultIn the most common medical journey for patients (73% of patients), half of patients/care partners (51%) reported they received their diagnosis from a neurologist. The most common reasons patients/care partners initiated discussions with a healthcare provider were symptoms interfering with activities of daily life (51%), symptoms not resolving (46%), encouragement from family or friends (44%), and symptoms worsening in degree of discomfort/frequency (43%). Most patients/care partners (23%) reported receiving a misdiagnosis prior to receiving a formal diagnosis of MCI/mild ADD. Half of neurologists (52%) view themselves as the coordinator of care for patients with MCI/mild ADD; whereas 35% of patients/care partners view them as such.At the time of diagnosis, most neurologists (83%) reported discussing with patients the potential causes of MCI/mild ADD. Most neurologists (84%) reported following American Academy of Neurology guidelines (AAN) for treatment and management of patients with MCI/mild ADD. For ongoing care, treatments most commonly prescribed/recommended by neurologists included mental exercises (84%), general improvements in lifestyle (84%), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors (78%), social interaction (75%), and NMDA antagonists (73%).ConclusionNeurologists are often the healthcare provider diagnosing MCI/mild ADD however patients frequently experience misdiagnosis in their medical journey. Neurologists are not viewed as coordinators of care by most patients. Positioning neurologists as coordinators of MCI/mild ADD care and equipping them with the right resources may help patients obtain a diagnosis and treatment sooner.

Medical journey of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome and obesity: a cross-sectional survey of patients and primary care physicians

ABSTRACT Objectives Patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) report dissatisfaction with the diagnostic process and are more likely to have overweight or obesity. We wanted to understand the role that primary care physicians (PCPs) play in the diagnosis of PCOS and how they contribute to treatment of patients with PCOS and obesity. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was completed by 251 patients with PCOS and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) and 305 healthcare providers (PCPs, obstetricians/gynecologists, reproductive and general endocrinologists). This paper focuses on the 75 PCPs treating patients with PCOS and obesity. Results In the most common patient journey, we found that most patients with PCOS and obesity (53%) have initial discussions about PCOS symptoms with PCPs. However, less than one quarter of patients receive a PCOS diagnosis (22%) or initial treatment (24%) for PCOS from a PCP. One quarter of patients also reported receiving a misdiagnosis from a PCP prior to their PCOS diagnosis. Compared to other healthcare providers surveyed, PCPs were the least comfortable making a PCOS diagnosis. Compared to PCPs without an obesity management focus, PCPs with an obesity management focus were more likely to diagnose patients themselves (38% vs 62%) and initiate PCOS treatment themselves (42% vs 57%). According to PCPs, difficulty with obesity management (47%) was the top reason that patients with PCOS and obesity stop seeing them for PCOS management. Conclusion PCPs are often the initial medical touchpoint for patients with PCOS and obesity. However, PCPs play a smaller role in diagnosis and treatment of PCOS. Increasing education on obesity management may encourage PCPs to diagnose and treat more patients with PCOS and offer strategies to help patients with obesity management.

Design theory to better target public health priorities: An application to Lyme disease in France.

In the context of complex public health challenges led by interdependent changes such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and resistance to treatment, it is important to mobilize methods that guide us to generate innovative interventions in a context of uncertainty and unknown. Here, we mobilized the concept-knowledge (CK) design theory to identify innovative, cross-sectoral, and cross-disciplinary research and design programs that address the challenges posed by tick-borne Lyme disease in France, which is of growing importance in the French public health and healthcare systems. Within the CK methodological framework, we developed an iterative approach based on literature analysis, expert interviews, analysis of active French research projects, and work with CK experts to contribute to design "an action plan against Lyme disease." We produced a CK diagram that highlights innovative concepts that could be addressed in research projects. The outcome is discussed within four areas: (i) effectiveness; (ii) environmental sustainability in prevention actions; (iii) the promotion of constructive involvement of citizens in Lyme challenges; and (iv) the development of care protocols for chronic conditions with an unknown diagnosis. Altogether, our analysis questioned the health targets ranging from population to ecosystem, the citizen involvement, and the patient consideration. This means integrating social and ecological science, as well as the multidisciplinary medical patient journey, from the start. CK theory is a promising framework to assist public health professionals in designing programs for complex yet urgent contexts, where research and data collection are still not sufficient to provide clear guidance.

First Two Years of Medical School: An Experience.

learning; medical students; medical school.

'Is there something wrong with your voice?' A qualitative study of the voice concerns of people with laryngotracheal stenosis.

Acquired laryngotracheal stenosis (LTS) is a rare condition that causes breathlessness and dyspnoea. Patients have reconstructive airway surgery to improve their breathing difficulties, but both LTS and the surgery can cause voice difficulties. The existing evidence base for management of voice difficulties for adults with LTS focuses on symptoms. There is limited information to provide clinical guidance for speech and language therapists (SLTs) and a limited understanding of the impact of voice changes on adults with LTS. To investigate the lived experience of adults with laryngotracheal stenosis (LTS), who have had reconstructive surgery; here focussing on voice concerns with the aim of guiding clinical care for SLTs. A phenomenological, qualitative study design was used. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were completed with adults living with LTS who had had reconstructive surgery. Audio recordings were transcribed and inductive thematic analysis was used by the research team to identify themes and sub-themes. A total of 24 participants (five focus groups and two interviews) took part in the study before thematic saturation was identified in analysis. Three main themes were identified specific to the experience of living with LTS: the Medical, Physical and Emotional journey. All participants referenced voice difficulties as they related to each of these overall themes. Sub-themes directly related to voice included experience of surgery, information provision, staff expertise/complacency, symptoms, symptom management, identity, support networks, impact on life and living with a chronic condition. In this qualitative study participants have described the integral part voice difficulties play in their lived experience of LTS and reconstructive surgery. This is considered in the context of their clinical care and the need for individualised management and information provision throughout the course of their condition. The broader research literature relating to voice difficulties is explored with links made to people with LTS and recommendations made for future research into people living with LTS and dysphonia. What is already known on this subject Adults with laryngotracheal stenosis (LTS) experience voice changes as a result of their condition, and the surgeries necessary as a treatment. These changes can lead to altered pitch, vocal fatigue, loss of pitch range and loss of volume control. Although there are known psychosocial implications both to living with a chronic condition and voice difficulties there has been no research exploring this in adults with LTS, and there is minimal clinical guidance for speech and language therapists (SLTs) working with these patients. What this paper adds to existing knowledge This research is the first study to explore the lived experience of adults with LTS who undergo reconstructive surgery, focusing on their voice concerns. This study demonstrates the multifactorial impacts of voice changes on all aspects of the lives of adults with LTS and the need for individualised information provision and clinical care to help support them. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Adults with LTS want expert SLTs to facilitate their care and support them throughout their LTS journey alongside other support networks. They want to be carefully prepared for reconstructive surgery and given clear information about symptoms and management of their voice difficulties. This has led to the reorganisation of the care pathway at our centre, and the introduction of a patient-led pretreatment session.

Vascular Abnormalities in a Pelvic Ectopic Kidney: How a Dissection-Based Program Improves the Knowledge of Clinical Anatomy

AbstractAnatomy is a vital basic science for safe and effective medical practice and its significance increases several folds when it is taught in a clinically relevant manner. In today's time-compressed modern medical curricula, the importance of dissection-based anatomy programs is integral to teaching–learning outcome. Sound anatomical knowledge is critical to safe clinical and surgical practice as it is fundamental to the career of future doctors. In this pictorial essay, we present a case of a left ectopic pelvic kidney during one of the faculty-guided dissection sessions at the Alfaisal University. Such an anomaly motivated students to perform further meticulous dissection and to engage in detailed discussions after identifying associated abnormal findings. It is believed that these practices at the very start of the medical journey of students will effectively enhance their clinical reasoning skills by integrating basic and clinical anatomy.

Coeliac Artery Release or Sham Operation in Patients Suspected of Having Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome: The CARoSO study

In patients with median arcuate ligament (MAL) syndrome (MALS), external compression of the coeliac artery (CA) by the MAL causes chronic disabling postprandial abdominal pain, weight loss, and, consequently, lethargy and social deprivation.1,2 The majority of patients with MALS will experience a long medical journey before a diagnosis of MALS is considered, resulting in a substantial burden of disease and high healthcare and societal costs.

A Study on Mayfly Algorithm and Its Recent Developments

It is to define its relationship with the partners during the formation and registration process of S Company Is a legal document prepared and also refers to the minute of the angle corresponding to the MOA 360 minute mark. Each minute represents 1/60 of a degree, just like the minutes of an hour. When shooting, even a small angle can cause you to miss the mark, so it is important to adjust your MOA to a precise angle or fine for a minute. Stands for Memorandum of Association, which refers to articles of association. They help protect and build your business and help establish the company's identity, work ethic and goals. The MOA's first duty is to obtain the patient's personal information before proceeding with the medical journey. Once the MOA collects the patient's information, he will begin transferring the patient to the doctor's office. At this point, the doctor may begin to perform medical procedures. Memorandum of Association (MOA) with its partners defines a company relationship. Is a Memorandum of Association (MOA) To define its relationship with partners Formation of limited liability company And is a legal document prepared during the registration process. The Military Operation Area (MOA) is a Class A aircraft designated to distinguish or differentiate certain hazardous military operations from IFR traffic and to identify VFR traffic carrying these operations. A company is also involved in a business or industrial organization is In order to operate a law firm Created by a group of individuals. They vary between private and public companies. Both have different ownership structures, Terms and conditions include financial statement requirements. The document containing Rules governing the internal management of a company and the regulations are called the article of the association. Select the document type as the consolidation document and select the year the attachment was filed. Pay the fee and request a certified copy. Memorandum of Association (MoA) Memorandum of Association articles there are the following subcategories: This subdivision refers to the name of the company. Company name should not be synonymous with any existing company. Also, if it is a private company, the last word should be the private company.

"Every Little Furrow of Her Brow Makes Me Want To Stop": An Interpretative Phenomenologic Analysis of Mothers' Experiences With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Treatments.

Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) are faced with a complex medical journey requiring consistent adherence to treatments to achieve disease management. Parents are intimately involved in JIA treatments; however, little is known about their experiences in this role. This is relevant as many treatments necessitate procedural pain (e.g., self-injections) or side effects (e.g., nausea), which may impact a parents' ability to follow treatment plans. The objective of this study was to explore the lived experiences of parents who identified challenges with their child's JIA treatments. Parents of children with JIA who identified challenges with their child's treatments were invited to take part in semistructured interviews. Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Ten mothers of children with JIA (60% female with a mean age of 11.83 years [range 4-16 years]) participated. Four superordinate themes were present in mothers' experiences: 1) treatments altered mothers' roles within the family, increasing their caregiver burden and advocacy; 2) treatments positively and negatively impacted their relationships (e.g., increased support from others, decreased time with others); 3) treatments elicited various emotional responses (e.g., frustration, grief), which affected their well-being; and 4) treatments were at times a source of internal conflict, affecting mothers' actions and adherence. Mothers' experiences with their child's JIA treatments affects them in various ways that can subsequently impact treatment adherence. Results highlight the value of supporting parents through these complex treatment regimens and incorporating their experiences in treatment decisions to help promote optimal outcomes for children with JIA and their families.

046 Construction of a detailed historical longitudinal personal medical journey identifies critical non-genetic determinants of disease in a patient with pemphigus vulgaris

While predisposing genetic factors have been implicated across a variety of autoimmune diseases, the inherited risk they carry has failed to completely account for the development of disease in any given individual. In fact, the etiology of autoimmunity is complex and multifactorial, involving both genetic and non-genetic factors. The lack of full concordance as revealed by monozygotic twins studies across autoimmune conditions support the importance of non-genetic factors and the social determinants of health (SDH) in both the initiation and clinical course of disease.

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis medical patient journey from the perspective of hepatologists, gastroenterologists and patients: a cross-sectional survey

BackgroundNonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the inflammatory subtype of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, is underdiagnosed and expected to become the leading indication for liver transplant in the United States. We aimed to understand the medical journey of patients with NASH and role of hepatologists/gastroenterologists in diagnosing and treating patients with NASH.MethodsA United States population-based cross-sectional online survey was completed by 226 healthcare professionals (HCPs) who treat patients with NASH and 152 patients with NASH; this study focuses on the patient and 75 hepatologist/gastroenterologist HCP respondents. Tests of differences (chi square, t-tests) between respondent types were performed using SPSS.ResultsMost patients reported receiving their diagnosis of NASH from a hepatologist (37%) or gastroenterologist (26%). Hepatologists/gastroenterologists were more likely than other HCPs to use FibroScan (transient elastography) to diagnose NASH and were more likely to distinguish between NASH with or without fibrosis. Hepatologists/gastroenterologists (68%) and patients (52%) agree that hepatologists/gastroenterologists are the primary coordinators of NASH care. The majority of hepatologists/gastroenterologists (85%) are aware of American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) clinical practice guidance, and 86% of those aware consider them when diagnosing patients with NASH. Hepatologists/gastroenterologists most frequently recommended exercise (86%), diet (70%), and supplements (58%) for ongoing management of NASH. Pharmaceutical medications for comorbidities were prescribed by a minority of hepatologists/gastroenterologists for their patients with NASH. Hepatologists/gastroenterologists cite difficulty (67%) or unwillingness (64%) to adhere to lifestyle changes as primary reasons patients with NASH discontinue NASH treatment.ConclusionsHepatologists/gastroenterologists are considered the coordinators of NASH care. While recognizing that patient adherence to lifestyle changes is the basis for successful treatment, important barriers limit successful implementation.

Computer Based Diagnosis of Some Chronic Diseases: A Medical Journey of the Last Two Decades.

Disease prediction from diagnostic reports and pathological images using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) is one of the fastest emerging applications in recent days. Researchers are striving to achieve near-perfect results using advanced hardware technologies in amalgamation with AI and ML based approaches. As a result, a large number of AI and ML based methods are found in the literature. A systematic survey describing the state-of-the-art disease prediction methods, specifically chronic disease prediction algorithms, will provide a clear idea about the recent models developed in this field. This will also help the researchers to identify the research gaps present there. To this end, this paper looks over the approaches in the literature designed for predicting chronic diseases like Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, Leukemia, Heart Disease, Diabetes, Chronic Kidney Disease and Liver Disease. The advantages and disadvantages of various techniques are thoroughly explained. This paper also presents a detailed performance comparison of different methods. Finally, it concludes the survey by highlighting some future research directions in this field that can be addressed through the forthcoming research attempts.

Sequential EHR-based dynamic graph network for multiple myeloma detection and feature interaction investigation.

e13591 Background: Electronic Health Records (EHR) provide the possibility of leveraging modern machine learning algorithms for disease detection prediction. Since a patient’s medical journey contains a complex pattern and it is difficult to identify interactive feature impacts, we propose to reconstruct patients’ attributes at different time points into dynamic graphs. Then we can use graph-based learning algorithms to enhance the predictive precision and identify leading feature interactions that reveal key services transitions. Methods: Sequential EHR like diagnosis (Dx), procedure (Px) and prescription (Rx) can be transformed into dynamic temporal graphs with nodes representing attributes, services, and medical status and edges representing patient-object interactions. Also, graph based sequential recommendation can use structured historical behavior trajectories as input, aiming to predict patient’s next behavior. Then, the model can investigate patients’ time-sensitive features interactively identifying a potential disease and then output a probability of getting that disease. Dynamic graphs can also help to track patient’s medical treatment/drug use service transitions. Results: We applied our method on a Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma (NDMM) dataset consisting of 1.5 million candidates’ longitudinal medical claims from 2017 to 2020 with diagnosis rate around 0.6%. In this data set, patients’159 aggregated Dx, Rx and Px features, together with 30 demographic attributes are updated monthly. The model was trained on 4 monthly data cohorts from the 12/2017 to 03/2019 period and its performance was tested on 9 monthly cohorts from year 2020. The 1000 patients scored as having highest risk were evaluated for the predictive precision which was around 6.5% This precision compares most favorably relative to the reported 0.76% lifetime risk of getting multiple myeloma in US. We also captured the top, service transitions in NDMM patients having 30% more frequency than those in overall populations. Conclusions: The novel dynamic graph-based learning approach on a large-scale EHR dataset demonstrates the advancement of the disease detection methodology. While the outcome of this model significantly improves the accuracy of predictive precision, it also helps identify more meaningful key drivers attributing to disease. The incremental new patients identified through this novel model will provide a better basis for the evolving identification solution within Biopharma industry.

Factors Influencing the Intention to Pursue Surgery among Female Pre-Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in Pakistan.

While gender disparities in surgery are documented worldwide, it is unclear to what extent women consider surgery as a career before embarking on their medical school journey. This study aimed to report the percentage of pre-medical women in Pakistan who intend to eventually specialize in surgery and assess the factors motivating and deterring this decision. An online survey was conducted among female pre-medical (high school) students across Pakistan. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine motivating and deterring factors associated with the intention to pursue surgery. Out of 1219 female high-school students, 764 (62.7) intended to join medical school. Among these 764, only 9.8% reported an exclusive intent to pursue surgery, while just 20.3% reported considering other specialties in addition to surgery. Significant motivators to pursue surgery exclusively were the intellectual satisfaction of pursuing surgery (adjusted odds ratio: 2.302), having opportunities to travel internationally for work (2.300) and use cutting-edge technology (2.203), interest in the specialty of surgery (2.031), the social prestige of becoming a surgeon (1.910), and considering one's personality well-suited to surgery (1.888). Major deterrents included the lack of interest in surgery (adjusted odds ratio: 3.812), surgical education and training being too difficult (2.440) and lengthy (1.404), and the risk of aggressive behavior from patients (2.239). Even before entering medical school, most female pre-medical students have already decided against considering a future surgical career. Deterrents likely stem from women being pressured to conform to deep-seated societal expectations to dedicate their time and energy to domestic responsibilities.