Which Gender Makes A Better Physician, And Why?

     Does the gender of your doctor matter?  The answer is an unequivocal yes.  A study published just last month in the Annals Of Internal Medicine added to the growing body of research showing that patients consistently do better under the care of a female physician.  In fact, experts say that male physicians should consider the findings of the study and learn how they might improve their own practice.
 
     People treated by female physicians have lower rates of mortality and readmission than those treated by male physicians.  In their study, researchers reported that there was a clinically significant difference in outcomes for people depending on the gender of their treating physician.
 
     Dr. Yusuke Tsugawa, a senior author of the study said, “Further research on the underlying mechanisms linking physician gender with patient outcomes….has the potential to improve patient outcomes across the board.”   One difference is that women doctors spend more time with patients as well as engaging in shared medical decision making and partnership discussions compared with their male counterparts.
 
     According to Dr. Lisa Rotenstein, a co-author of the study, “In the surgical realm, female physicians spend longer on a surgical procedure and have lower rates of postoperative readmissions.  We need to be asking ourselves how to provide the training and incentives so that all doctors can emulate the care provided by female physicians.”
 
     A professor of medicine at Stanford University who was not involved in the study commented that there is often a tendency for male physicians to discount this kind of information because it may feel  uncomfortable or threatening.  “However, that kind of response will not help patients.  If, instead, male physicians can approach these data with curiosity as to why patients may have worse outcomes in their hands, they may begin to identify how to improve the care they provide.”

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