Study Suggests Female Physicians Care for Patients a Bit Differently
- A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that male and female doctors can lead to different patient outcomes, including overall survival.
- The study involved more than 776,000 patients (458,108 women) and (318,819 men), and roughly 30% of them had women doctors. Researchers concluded, “Both female and male patients had a lower patient mortality (death) when treated by female physicians; however, the benefit of receiving care from female physicians was larger for female patients than for male patients.”
- This latest study mirrors several similar studies over the years, suggesting that women doctors lead to slightly better patient outcomes. However, many researchers believe more research is needed on the subject.
- Still, it’s important to know that patients—especially cancer patients—aren’t usually under the care of one single doctor. In fact, a team of specialists of both genders and expertise typically makes up a care team.
According to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, both female and male patients experience care differently depending on whether a male or female doctor is treating them. Although the study found minimal differences between the genders, the overall survival of patients also showed a difference.
Read MoreWhat to Know About Your Care Team
The numbers show a small but distinguishable difference among the patients who died under the care of a female doctor compared to a male doctor. Roughly 10.15% of men and 8.2% of women died under the care of a female doctor, compared to 10.23% of men and 8.4% of women who died under the care of male doctors.
The findings indicate that patients have slightly 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.
Dr. Yusuke Tsugawa, associate professor-in-residence of medicine in the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, is one of the study’s authors. He says the research findings suggest that men and women practice medicine differently.
“Further research on the underlying mechanisms linking physician gender with patient outcomes and why the benefit of receiving treatment from female physicians is larger for female patients has the potential to improve patient outcomes across the board,” Dr. Tsugawa told UCLA Health.
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The difference in care male and female doctors provide to patients and the long-term impact of that care has been studied several other times.
A 2022 study published in JAMA Surgery examined a little more than a million patients and postoperative surgery outcomes. It suggested the gender of the surgeon played a role in how patients faired after an operation.
The researchers found “consistent evidence of comparable or somewhat better outcomes for male patients treated by female surgeons; this association was significantly larger for female patients and consistent across subgroups.”
Another study published in JAMA Surgery in 2023 examined the differences in patient outcomes for those who underwent a cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal). The researchers found that “female surgeons have more favorable outcomes and operate more slowly than male surgeons in elective and acute care cholecystectomies.”
A 2017 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine examined 1.5 million hospitalizations among elderly patients and found that patients treated by female physicians had “lower 30-day mortality and readmissions into the hospital compared to patients under the care of a male doctor.
The researchers in the study offered possible explanations for the discrepancy in patient outcomes when treated by men and women doctors.
The researchers said in their review, “Female physicians are more likely to practice evidence-based medicine, perform as well as or better on standardized examinations, and provide more patient-centered care.”
The researchers go on to suggest that “men may be less deliberate in their approach to solving complex problems,” adding that “these patterns of behavior may provide a plausible mechanism linking physician sex with patient outcomes.”
A 2002 meta-analysis published in JAMA studied how men and women communicate with their doctors during medical visits. The researchers concluded, “Female primary care physicians engage in more communication that can be patient-centered and have longer visits than their male colleagues. Limited studies exist outside primary care, and gender-related practice patterns in some subspecialties may differ from those in primary care.”
What to Know About Choosing a Care Team
We should point out that these studies are just samples of a particular patient population at a given time. Although they may illuminate an area of interest, a few studies cannot tell the complete story; hence, more studies are needed.
Furthermore, it should be noted that within the healthcare industry, certain genders tend to gravitate toward certain specialties, which can influence studies like these regarding patient care.
WATCH: What should you consider when choosing your care team?
Most importantly, your cancer care will come from a group of doctors and specialists likely comprised of both genders.
“Cancer care is multidisciplinary, and a team approach is simply the best way to organize it,” Dr. Elizabeth Berger tells SurvivorNet. Berger is a breast surgical oncologist in The Breast Center at Yale University’s Smilow Cancer Center in New Haven, CT.
Cancer care team members strive to stay on the same page and communicate a clear and uniform message to their patients.
“Teams communicate on an almost daily basis. When I receive a [lab] report on a patient, I reach out to the radiologist and the medical oncologist right away. We have calls where all members of that patient’s team are on the call discussing appropriate care for each patient,” Berger says.
Your care team can be thought of as a bicycle wheel containing a hub and many spokes. You won’t handpick each member of your team. Most likely, the doctor you start your cancer care with, whether that’s a surgeon or a medical oncologist, will refer you to the other doctors you need. Of course, if one of those doctors isn’t a great fit, you can try another.
Core providers form the hub and can include:
- The surgeon
- The oncologist
- The radiologist
The spokes may be comprised of various providers depending on what you need. Your team could include:
- A genetic counselor
- A nutritionist
- An emotional support
- A reproductive medicine specialist
- A physical therapist
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