Assessing emergency room leadership of ObGyn residents in a public university teaching hospital of Sindh, Pakistan: a cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Leadership is a critical competency for medical professionals, yet it is often neglected in medical training. For ObGyn residents, leadership training is particularly crucial as it significantly impacts both maternal and newborn outcomes, as well as the operational efficiency of healthcare teams. The main objective of this study was to assess the perceptions of obstetrics and gynecology residents who served as group leaders in the emergency team at the Department of Gynecology, Ward 3, Dr. Ruth K.M. Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi.

METHODS: A Cross-sectional survey was conducted with purposively sampled 28 year-4 residents who worked as group leaders during last 3 years (from 2018 to 2020) of their residency program at the emergency team in the department of Gynecology Ward 3 Dr Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi. The perceptions on leadership were assessed on 25 items scale sent through a questionnaire on email. Grading of responses was done using a 4-point ordinal scale where 1 meant little importance and 4 was regarded as having great importance. Data was summarized with relevant descriptive statistics and was analyzed on SPSS version 22.

RESULTS: The mean age of residents was 30.36. The mean leadership scores of the group of residents were calculated to be 77.50 (SD ± 9.57) while 14(50%) residents showed good and 14 (50%) showed excellent leadership skills based on cumulative scores. Of the 25 traits examined in this study, the highest reported trait was humility 3.82 (± 0.39) followed by empowerment 3.68 (± 0.77) and effective communication 3.68 (± 0.77). While responding about learning experiences, 89.3% of participants felt that the experience enhanced their decision-making skills and boosted their confidence in dealing with emergencies.

CONCLUSION: Our study highlights the critical importance of leadership development in the training of ObGyn residents, particularly in high-pressure emergency settings. The findings reveal that residents value leadership traits such as humility, empowerment, and effective communication, which are essential for building teamwork and ensuring optimal patient outcomes and patient satisfaction.