The Surgeon Show highlights an ‘invisible problem’ in the OR
Medtech has long overlooked the ‘invisible problem’ of gender health and data gaps. Device development must break from traditional norms if companies are to promote inclusivity.
Lara Zaki, senior FEI strategy and innovation consultant at Team Consulting, shared this view at The Surgeon Show, a pioneering event attended by over 656 leading surgeons worldwide to discuss innovation, change, and the future of surgery.
A highlight of the exclusive Surgical Leaders Summit was hearing from innovators transforming the surgical environment.
Team Consulting is an award-winning medical device consultancy with 40 years of experience in medical product design and development. It actively raises awareness of these gaps by employing cognitive science in early-stage medical device strategy, leads femtech initiatives to reduce gender health disparities, and supports women’s health innovators.
Lara Zaki co-presented a session with Shweta Aggarwal, a consultant plastic surgeon at Bart’s Health and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at QMUL, in which they discussed Team Consulting’s work to help develop a novel device concept to improve surgeon accuracy in breast surgery procedures.
The talk reflected another key theme throughout The Surgeon Show: that surgeon-led innovation is critical for effective solutions, relying on collaboration among clinicians, industry, and surgical bodies.
Following the session, Lara spoke with the Show’s media partner Future Medicine and explained that women surgeons frequently face problems in the operating room and are often told to ‘just figure it out’ when they encounter issues with instruments.
She shared that she’s heard many stories highlighting how devices are not suitable for smaller hands, varying hand strengths, or different heights, affecting both male and female surgeons. This, she added, is a genuine health concern that impacts a surgeon’s wellbeing and their ability to perform efficiently and effectively.
Team Consulting aims to close these data gaps and ensure that device development genuinely includes all users.
However, developing data is often hindered by limited access to information that could make products more inclusive and better address women’s health issues in a male-dominated industry. This gender bias persists not only in device development but also in how students are taught to use them.
Lara also noted a tendency to rely on precedent in medical device development. Many devices and medical textbooks are based on male anatomy, perpetuating this ongoing gap, she said.
Recently, Team Consulting conducted an interactive workshop to explore and address these issues of inclusivity. The session, held at the Women at the Cutting Edge event, hosted by the Royal College of Surgeons of England in partnership with the RCSEng’s I-Hub and Women in Surgery (WinS), brought together surgeons to tackle gender bias in surgical device design.
Co-founder of The Surgeon Show, Professor Shafi Ahmed, said: ‘Meaningful dialogue drives progress. Together, we are shaping the next era of surgery, with innovation, responsibility, and patients at the centre of every conversation. Let us think boldly, lead responsibly, and build what comes next together.’
