Motivations and barriers to choosing an interventional cardiology path in Latin American women

Giuliana Corna, Department of Interventional Cardiology, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Antonieta M. Albanez-Lopes, Department of Interventional Cardiology, Real Hospital Português, Recife, Brazil
Pabla Cataldo, Department of Interventional Cardiology, Instituto Nacional del Torax, Santiago, Chile
Paulina Cisneros, Department of Interventional Cardiology, Pontificia Universidad Católica, Quito, Ecuador
Lorena Villalba, Sociedad Paraguaya de Cardiología y Cirugía Cardiaca, Asuncion, Paraguay
Bibiana Manavella, Department of Interventional Cardiology, Hospital Provincial del Centenario, Rosario, Argentina
Patricia Aubanel, Department of Interventional Cardiology, Hospital del Prado, Tijuana, Mexico
Viviana Lemke, Cardiocare Clinica Cardiológica, Curitiba, Brazil
Sanali Paiva, Instituto Atena de Pesquisa Clínica, Natal, Brazil
Carla Agatiello, Department of Interventional Cardiology, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Objective: To investigate the motivations and barriers to choosing interventional cardiology (IC) among women from Latin America. Method: A questionnaire from the European association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions Women’s Committee was distributed to Latin American cardiologists from March to April 2024, inquiring about social and professional profiles, and reasons for choosing or not IC. Results: Three hundred and seven individuals (134 [44%] women and 173 [56%] men) from 17 different Latin American countries responded to the survey. Compared to men, women were younger (46 vs. 29% between 18 and 35 years old, p < 0.0001), less frequently married (48 vs. 50%, p = 0.03), and more frequently childless (68 vs. 32%, p < 0.001). One hundred and fifty (49%) respondents were interventional cardiologists, 51 (34%) women, and 99 (66%) men (p = 0.008). The main reason for choosing IC was “because it is my passion” (88 vs. 91%, p = 0.48, respectively). The three most frequent reasons for not choosing IC in women were, in order: concerns about radiation, on-calls, long working hours, and personal preference. Conclusion: The primary motivation for women choosing IC is their passion for the field. Several barriers deter many of them from choosing it as a career path, including concerns about radiation exposure and on-calls with long working hours, emphasizing on the necessity of enhancing education on radiation safety and developing new strategies to preclude and support women in IC in Latin America.

Keywords: Interventional cardiology. Women. Barriers. Motivations. Underrepresentation. Radiation.