Background: Otolaryngologists are among the highest risk for COVID-19 exposure. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, survey-based, national study evaluating academic otolaryngologists. Burnout, anxiety, distress, and depression were assessed by the single-item Mini-Z Burnout Assessment, 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, 15-item Impact of Event Scale, and 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire, respectively. Results: A total of 349 physicians completed the survey. Of them, 165 (47.3%) were residents and 212 (60.7%) were males. Anxiety, distress, burnout, and depression were reported in 167 (47.9%), 210 (60.2%), 76 (21.8%), and 37 (10.6%) physicians, respectively. Attendings had decreased burnout relative

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Importance Sex is a variable that is poorly controlled for in clinical research. Objective Determine if sex bias exists in human surgical clinical research, determine if data are reported and analyzed using sex as an independent variable, and identify specialties where the greatest and least sex biases exist. Design Review and data abstraction from published peer-reviewed manuscripts. Setting All original peer-reviewed manuscripts published in 2011 and 2012 in Annals of Surgery, American Journal of Surgery, JAMA Surgery, Journal of Surgical Research, and Surgery. Main Outcome Measures Study type, location, number and sex of subjects, sex matching, and inclusion of sex-based reporting, statistical analysis, and discussion of data. Results Of 2,347 articles reviewed, 1,668 included human subjects. After excluding 365 articles, 1,303 manuscripts remained: 17 (1%) included only males, 41 (3%) included only females, 1,020 (78%) included males and females, and 225 (17%) did not document the sex of the subjects. While females represent over 50% of the total number of subjects included, considerable variability existed with the number of male, female, and unspecified subjects included among the journals, between US domestic and international studies, and between single versus multi-center studies. For manuscripts included in the study, only 38% reported these data by sex, 33% analyzed these data by sex, and 23% included a discussion of sex-based results. Sex matching of the subjects included in the research was poor, with only 18% of the studies matching the inclusion of both sexes by 80%. Upon analysis of the different surgical specialties, a wide variation in sex-based inclusion, matching, and data reporting existed, with colorectal surgery having the best matching of males and females and cardiac surgery having the worst. Conclusion Our data show that sex bias exists in human surgical clinical research. Few studies included men and women equally, less than one-third performed data analysis by sex, and there was wide variation in inclusion and matching of the sexes among the specialties and the journals reviewed. Because clinical research serves as the foundation for evidence-based medicine, it is imperative that this disparity be addressed so that therapies benefit both sexes.

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Background Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common condition encountered in primary care medicine and is estimated to affect 12.5% of the United States population. This study aims to compare methods of assessing health utility in CRS Methods A cross-sectional sample of CRS patients (n=137) were interviewed using direct health utility assessment measures: the visual analog scale (VAS), time trade-off (TTO), and standard gamble (SG). General quality of life (QOL) scores were obtained via the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and converted to SF-6D health utility values using a Bayesian algorithm. Disease specific quality of life was measured with the SNOT-22. A selected subgroup of patients (n=51) not initiating surgery or new treatment for CRS were re-interviewed within three weeks. Results The mean (±SD) health utilities were VAS 0.69(±0.19), TTO 0.80(±0.27), SG 0.93(±0.11), SF-6D 0.72(±0.12) and differed significantly (p<0.001). Only VAS scores differed based on disease state classification or the presence of nasal polyposis. Correlations between methods of determining health utility were weak, but significant. VAS, TTO and SF-6D scores were significantly associated with SNOT-22 (p<0.001 for all), however SG and SNOT-22 were poorly correlated (Spearman correlation=-0.33). The test-retest reliability of TTO (Spearman correlation=0.71) and SG (0.73) was strong. Conclusions CRS patients show significant impairment in quality of life, with health utility values similar to those of patients with AIDS or intermittent claudication using similar methods. The method of ascertainment significantly affects measured health utility, but the degree of impairment warrants improved recognition and appropriate treatment of the condition.