Patients who are seen by a female doctor would have lower rates of mortality and readmissions to the hospital, which would especially benefit women, according to a study that does not establish a cause-effect relationship between both variables.
The research led by the University of California, Los Angeles (USA) and published Annals of Internal Medicine analyzed data from more than 700,000 patients, of both sexes and ages 65 and older, collected between 2016 and 2019.
Study does not establish cause-effect relationship
The study is observational, that is, reality is observed or certain results are measured, but a cause-effect relationship cannot be established.
Of the 700,000 patients, about 458,100 were women and almost 319,800 were men. Of the entire group, 30.6% were treated by female physicians and mortality was observed 30 days from the date of admission and readmission within one month from the date of discharge.
The data indicate that the mortality rate of female patients was 8.15% when they were treated by female doctors, compared to 8.38% when the doctor was male, a “clinically significant” difference, according to the university in a statement.
Although the difference in the case of male patients “was smaller, female doctors still had the advantage, with a mortality rate of 10.15% compared to 10.23% for male doctors.”
The researchers found the same pattern in hospital readmission rates.
Possible medical underestimation of disease severity
These differences, according to the team, may be due to several factors, including suggesting that doctors may underestimate the severity of their female patients’ illness.
In fact, previous research has observed that male doctors “underestimate their female patients’ pain levels, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular symptoms, and stroke risk, which could delay or interrupt care,” the statement added.
Additionally, female doctors may communicate better with their female patients, increasing the likelihood that they will provide important information to improve diagnosis and treatment.
Another cause could be that women feel more comfortable undergoing delicate exams and having detailed conversations with doctors.
Different approaches in medical practice
“What our results indicate is that doctors of both sexes practice medicine differently and that these differences have a significant impact on patients’ health outcomes,” said the study’s lead author, Yusuke Tsugawa.
The researcher considered it necessary to continue investigating how and why doctors practice medicine differently and its impact on care, which “could lead to the development of interventions that effectively improve patient care,” he said.
Analyzing the study, doctor specializing in medicine with a gender perspective Carmen Valls, who did not participate in the research, highlighted that it is “of good quality, with good statistical analysis.”
Valls, cited by the Science Media Center – a resource platform for science journalists – pointed out among its limitations that it was done among older patients, “so it cannot be known with complete certainty” if these differences in treatment occur among older people. youths.
For his part, researcher at the University of Newcastle (United Kingdom), Gavin Stewart, estimated that due to the type of research “the conclusions should be treated with caution unless they are corroborated with additional studies.”
FEW (EFE, UCLAAnnals of Internal Medicine)
