A new Irish study has attempted to determine why medical students or newly-qualified doctors choose to study obstetrics and gynaecology.

According to researchers at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin, there has been a fall in doctors pursing a career in this specialty in recent decades. Worldwide, research suggests a number of reasons for this including challenges with work/life balance, potential income and experience with positive role models.

The researchers aimed to identify the level of interest in obstetrics and gynaecology at medical student and intern doctor level in Ireland. They also wanted to look at some of the reasons for choosing to pursue a career in this field.

They carried out a survey of 191 attendees at a national level medical careers day, which took place in September 2018. The event was focused on specialty training and career planning.

Some 84% of attendees were medical students, while the remainder were interns. The gender breakdown was 60% female and 40% male.

A total of 13% (25) visited the obstetrics and gynaecology careers clinic, 85% of whom were women. An analysis of their replies revealed a number of factors which appeared to influence their interest in this specialty, including their experiences with clinicians who were seen as superb role models, the opportunity to care for vulnerable women and the opportunity to deliver babies.

The study revealed that with just 13% of attendees showing an interest in obstetrics and gynaecology, there was less interest shown compared to other surgical disciplines.

The researchers suggested that the reasons for this “are likely related to perceptions of lifestyle, working hours and the increasing legal issues facing obstetricians in Ireland”.

“As has been highlighted amongst Irish trainees within this field, increasing media scrutiny and medical-legal challenges are related to recruitment and attrition,” they noted.

In relation to gender, the researchers pointed out that various healthcare systems worldwide have recorded a fall in men choosing obstetrics and gynaecology.

“The reasons for this range from a perception that women prefer female-led medical care for their obstetric and gynaecological needs to the potential for gender bias and discrimination against men.

“It is important that both genders are encouraged and supported during their training in an effort to achieve a healthy balance of male and female clinicians,” they said.

When it came to the importance of role models, the study noted that this appeared to be an important factor, “more so than with any other medical discipline”.

“This knowledge is useful and its power should not be underestimated within recruitment and retention of trainee doctors”, they said.

They noted that obstetrics and gynaecology is a “unique specialty that marries medicine and surgery”, while also caring for women at different stages of their lives.

“The driving factors that influence individuals to choose this field have been identified. The next steps should be to optimise and benefit from this knowledge and ultimately attract and retain highly motivated individuals,” they added.

This study is published in the Irish Medial Journal.