DiffErential attainment and Factors AssoCiated with Training applications and Outcomes (DE FACTO) study: sex trends across surgical specialities

BACKGROUND: Women remain underrepresented in surgery, with dropouts occurring at every stage of training, and women representing under 20% of consultant surgeons. This study explored the relationship between sex, applications for national selection for Higher Specialty Training (ST3), and receipt of an offer. METHODS: This retrospective longitudinal cohort study used data from the UK Medical Education Database. The study population included 1,960 doctors eligible to progress to higher training between 2014 and 2019. The primary outcomes of interest were application for and offer of an ST3 post. Logistic regression analysis was conducted after adjusting for confounders using a directed acyclic graph. RESULTS: