Whether the medical professional who treats you is a man or a woman should not influence the results of the treatment, however, new research carried out in the United States has found that mortality rates and hospital readmissions decrease if patients are treated by female doctors and that the impact on their recovery is particularly positive when female patients are treated by female doctors.
The study revealed that the mortality rate for female patients was 8.15% under the care of female doctors, in contrast to 8.38% if they were cared for by male doctors, a statistically significant difference. Although the difference was smaller in male patients, female doctors still showed an advantage, recording a mortality rate of 10.15% compared to 10.23% for male doctors.
Dr. Yusuke Tsugawa, associate professor of medicine in the division of general internal medicine and health services at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) and senior author of the study, said the results They should not vary between male and female doctors if medical practice were identical.
Tsugawa suggested that differences in medical practice between genders have a significant impact on patient health outcomes, urging more research into the underlying mechanisms that link physician gender to patient outcomes, especially why female patients Women benefit more from women’s health care. The findings have been published in the scientific journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
Do female doctors provide higher quality care?
The study analyzed data from claims to Medicare – the national health insurance program for people aged 65 and older and young people with disabilities – made between 2016 and 2019 by 777,900 patients, including approximately 458,100 female patients and about 319,800 male patients. Of these, about 31%, or 142,500 female and 97,500 male patients, were treated by female doctors. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality from hospital admission and 30-day readmission from discharge.
The researchers suggested that several factors could explain these differences, including that male physicians may underestimate the severity of gastrointestinal and cardiovascular symptoms reported by female patients, as well as their risk of stroke, which could lead to a delay in treatment. diagnosis or incomplete care. Additionally, female doctors could have better communication with their female patients, which could facilitate communication between them and lead to more effective diagnoses and treatments. Additionally, female patients may feel more comfortable receiving sensitive examinations and engaging in detailed conversations with female physicians.
Female physicians could have better communication with their female patients, which could facilitate communication between them and lead to more effective diagnoses and treatments.
Tsugawa also highlighted the need for more research into how and why doctors practice medicine differently, and how this affects patient care. Additionally, he mentioned the importance of eliminating gender pay gaps among doctors, emphasizing that the presence of more female doctors benefits society by providing high-quality care.
“The authors point out that the study details some facts, but that in the future it should be studied why it happens and what the different treatment that women doctors give, especially towards women, consists of: if it is just a matter of taking the symptoms and signs of female patients, or is there some other difference that should be observed and that in the future could also be applied by male doctors. The future implication would be to be able to guarantee equal treatment for women and men without gender bias in healthcare,” concludes Carme Valls Llobet, Doctor of Medicine specialized in endocrinology and medicine with a gender perspective, director of the ‘Women, Health and Quality of Life’ program. at the Center for Analysis and Health Programs (CAPS) in statements to SMC Spain.
