Treatment by female doctors lowers patients’ risk of death: study

A new one research It has been proven that the patients treated by women Dr They are less likely to die and be re-hospitalized.

A study from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) found that female patients benefited more from female doctors than from male doctors.

The study, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, found that when female patients were treated by female doctors, the mortality rate was 8.15 percent compared to 8.38 percent for male doctors, which the researchers considered a ‘clinically significant’ difference. are

Meanwhile, the mortality rate for male patients treated by female doctors was 10.15 percent, which is lower than the rate of 10.23 percent for those treated by male doctors.

The researchers also found a similar pattern in hospital readmission rates.

One of the researchers, Professor Yusuke Tsugawa, says that if these professionals practice medicine in the same way, the results between male and female doctors will not differ.

He said: ‘Our findings suggest that female and male doctors practice medicine differently and that these different approaches have a meaningful impact on patient health outcomes.

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“If we study how physician gender affects patient treatment outcomes, with female patients in particular often benefiting more from female physicians, the results for all (male and female) Can be improved.’

In this study, data on Medicare claims of more than 458,000 female patients and more than 319,000 male patients were reviewed between 2016 and 2019.

The researchers cite a number of factors that may account for the disparity (of treatment outcomes) between male and female doctors – they say the gap may be related to the fact that male doctors are not fully aware of How serious are the diseases of their female patients.

Past studies have shown that male doctors underestimate the severity of pain, gastrointestinal and cardiac symptoms, as well as the risk of stroke in their female patients, leading to delays in accessing treatment or receiving incomplete care. can cause

According to the research, when female patients were treated by female doctors, the mortality rate was 8.15 percent while it was 8.38 percent in the case of male doctors.

The researchers also said that the difference in mortality may also be related to the fact that female doctors are better able to communicate with their female patients, making patients more likely to share important information, which in turn leads to better outcomes. The diagnosis and treatment improves.

The study also suggested that female patients may feel more comfortable having sensitive examinations and having detailed discussions with female doctors.

But the researchers called for more studies to learn more about the differences in both the medications and care provided by male and female doctors.

Sugawa, a professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, said: ‘A better understanding of this topic may help to develop measures that can effectively improve patient care.’

He added: ‘It is important to note that female doctors provide higher quality care and therefore having more female doctors benefits patients from a societal perspective.’

Many studies show that women’s pain is often taken less seriously than men’s pain.

Past data show that women not only spend longer waiting times in emergency departments, but are also less likely than men to be prescribed effective pain relievers.

Additional reporting: SWNS