Gender disparities in the development of clinical practice guidelines in Peru

Objectives: To explore gender disparity in the development of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) in Peru. Materials and methods: A descriptive and observational study was conducted. An electronic search for Peruvian CPGs published from 2015 until July 30, 2024, was performed. Microsoft Excel was used for data collection and RStudio for statistical analysis. Results: 177 CPGs published between 2015 and 2024 were analyzed that reported information related to the CPG development group (CDG). In general, the CDGs included 1527 men (58.8%) and 1070 women (41.2%) among clinical experts and methodologists. Men predominated as clinical experts, especially in specialties such as internal medicine and surgery; while women predominated as methodologists. The specialty with the highest male predominance was internal medicine (61.8%). Conclusions: The study revealed lower female participation in the development of CPGs in Peru, as well as greater gender disparity in participation in the surgical field and in public institutions. The low participation of women in leadership positions influences this gap. Strategies are required to improve gender equity.