Going to the doctor can sometimes be a nerve-wracking experience for patients. Ensuring you have the best care possible is essential, and it turns out the gender of your doctor could have an impact on your health.
A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal examined more than 700,000 Medicare recipients in the U.S. ages 65 and up who were hospitalized to determine any difference between patients that were treated by male and female physicians between 2016 and 2019.
They found that 8.15 percent of women treated by female physicians died within 30 days, while 8.38 percent of women treated by male physicians died. Men experienced a similar phenomenon, with 10.15 percent of those treated by female doctors dying within 30 days versus 10.23 percent for male physicians. "The pattern was similar for patients’ readmission rates," the authors added. Although the spread is small, it could represent 5,000 fewer deaths nationwide.
"Both female and male patients had a lower patient mortality when treated by female physicians; however, the benefit of receiving care from female physicians was larger for female patients than for male patients," the authors concluded. "The findings indicate that patients have lower mortality and readmission rates when treated by female physicians, and the benefit of receiving treatments from female physicians is larger for female patients than for male patients."
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The findings might be surprising, though they aren't all-encompassing, and more research needs to be done into the phenomenon. For example, the results "may not be generalizable to younger populations," the team acknowledged, and the data doesn't give an explanation as to why women generally fare better when treated by other women.
Lead study author Dr. Atsushi Miyawaki explained to NBC News that other studies in the past have suggested that women are less likely to deal with "miscommunication, misunderstanding, and bias" when treated by female doctors. This is partially due to the issue of medical students having "limited training in women's health issues," Miyawaki said.
Studies in the past have illuminated some of the benefits of having female medical professionals take care of you. A 2021 study published in JAMA Surgery found that women patients ended up with fewer complications if their surgeon was also a woman. A 2023 JAMA Surgery study similarly found that patients had fewer complications and shorter hospital stays if they were operated on by female surgeons.
If you're ready to switch to a new doctor, you might have to search a little harder for a woman in a white coat, as they're currently estimated to make up 37 percent of all practicing physicians in the U.S., according to the American Medical Association.
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