Trends in practice characteristics: analyses of 19 periodic surveys (1987-1992) of Fellows of the American Academy of Pediatrics

OBJECTIVE: To examine 6 years of practice characteristics data of Fellows of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), focusing on sex differences for specialty area, primary activity, practice setting, and practice location. METHODS: We analyzed data from 19 Periodic Surveys that were fielded between 1987 and 1992. The Periodic Survey is used to survey AAP members regularly about current issues in pediatric practice. There are no duplicate respondents in these analyses of the first 19 Periodic Surveys. We collapsed the 19 surveys into the years in which they were fielded, and analyzed sex differences for each of the 6 years. In addition, we ran logistic regressions on several questions, including all 16 868 respondents, to examine how the characteristics of the specialty have been affected by the increase in the number of female pediatricians, controlling for survey year, age of respondents, and specialty area practiced. RESULTS: The proportion of nonresident AAP members who are female has grown throughout the 6 years; in 1987, 26.9% were female, and in 1992, 36.4% were female. For 5 of the 6 years there were sex differences in specialty area, usually concerning pediatric subspecialties. Substantial sex differences occurred in primary activity, in which each year women were more likely than men to be salaried. Men were more often in group practices, whereas women were generally more likely to practice in hospitals or clinics. Logistic regression demonstrated that there are sex differences in practice characteristics across time, but there is also a substantial change in practice characteristics accountable to survey year, eg, a pediatrician of either sex was 75% more likely to be salaried in 1992 than in 1987. CONCLUSIONS: Throughout the 6-year period, AAP members became increasingly more likely to practice general pediatrics, to be salaried, and to be younger-all effects independent of sex, all effects stronger for females. Rapid transformations in the health care system will likely reduce current sex differences in practice characteristics of the future.