Outcomes of General Medicine Patients Treated by Female vs. Male Physicians: Canadian study

I am going to offend someone here. Female physicians are better than male physicians. Am I right? An earlier 2017 study of patients admitted to internal medicine wards in the US noted that those cared for by female physicians had a lower rate of 30-day mortality and re-admissions. Specifically, female physicians are more likely to provide preventive care, adhere to clinical guidelines, take a patient-centered approach, perform better on qualifying examinations, and spend more time in direct patient care for lower remuneration. The limited literature on physician gender-mediated differences in care suggests that female physicians may spend more time reading electronic health records and may prescribe certain medications with additional caution.

Evidence from previous studies suggests that female physicians perceive clinical risks more highly and, perhaps, as a result, order more tests and request more referrals than their male counterparts. Recent studies in internal medicine reported that a more extended period since medical school graduation and older physician age was significantly associated with increased patient mortality. The authors wondered if the difference was because the female physician force is younger. 

So, what do female colleagues do differently? Studies have shown that female physicians are more likely than male physicians to provide patient-centered care, spend longer communicating with their patients, provide more nonverbal feedback. They offer higher levels of empathic concern that may enable increased patient disclosure of medical information and foster stronger relationships among health team members, thereby improving patient care.

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