The following is a summary of “Systematic Review of Women Leading and Participating in Nephrology Randomized Clinical Trials,” published in the January 2024 issue of Nephrology by Lodhi et al.

The underrepresentation of women in leadership roles and participation in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is a recognized issue. This study employs a bibliometric review to scrutinize the landscape of nephrology RCTs, specifically focusing on the involvement of women in trial leadership and participation. Through a comprehensive search of RCTs published in esteemed medical, surgical, and nephrology journals from January 2011 to December 2021, the study identifies and analyzes 395 eligible trials. Women’s presence as corresponding authors reveals 22%, 28%, and 19% in corresponding first and last authorship positions, respectively, with no discernible change over the examined timeframe. 

Notably, logistic regression analyses unveil statistical patterns related to gender disparities. The median percentage of female trial participants stands at 39.0%, showing no significant difference based on the gender of lead authors. Intriguingly, men leading trials are statistically less likely to enroll women. Furthermore, women leading trials are less likely to secure funding from the industry or lead international trials. An exciting correlation emerges, indicating that trials with sex-specific eligibility criteria are more likely to have women in leadership roles. Despite these findings, the study underscores that gender inequalities persist in both RCT leadership and participation within the nephrology domain, and importantly, these disparities have not shown improvement over time. 

The discussion calls for implementing and evaluating strategies to rectify these inequalities, emphasizing the need for proactive measures to address the observed gender disparities in nephrology research.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S246802492400041X