Patients who are treated by a female doctor New research shows they may live longer and have a lower risk of hospitalization.
These benefits were seen more female patient compared with men, according to the study, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
“Among older adults hospitalized for any medical condition, patients treated by female physicians had lower mortality and readmission rates than patients cared for by male physicians—and the benefit of receiving treatment from female physicians outweighed that of men.” was higher for female patients than for male patients,” lead study author Dr. Yusuke Tsugawa, associate professor of medicine in the department of general internal medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, told Fox News Digital.
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The study included 700,000 Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older who were hospitalized between 2016 and 2019.
According to a press release from UCLA Health, the death rate for female patients treated by female physicians was 8.15% — while the death rate for patients treated by male physicians was 8.38%.
New research has found that patients who are treated by female physicians may live longer and have a reduced risk of hospitalization. (iStock)
Dr. Shana Johnson, a physical medicine and rehabilitation therapist in scottsdale, arizonaThose who were not involved in the research said the findings are “clinically significant”, as the difference led to the deaths of an additional 1,053 female patients.
Male patients also had a lower mortality rate when treated by female physicians, but the difference was smaller.
Why the difference?
Dr. Mark Siegel, Clinical Professor of Medicine NYU Langone Medical Center and a medical contributor to Fox News, were not involved in the study, but called the findings “fascinating.”
“Women have greater empathy, which can directly impact patient care and diagnosis and treatment,” she told Fox News Digital.
“There has been patriarchy in medicine for a long time, and there may still be some leeway in women’s health issues or (doctors) view them as emotionally based,” Siegel said.
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There is a “growing awareness” that doctors are more sensitive to health issues When they can connect directly with their patients, doctors said.
“This applies to screening, diagnosis and treatment,” he said.
“Women have higher levels of empathy, which can directly impact patient care and diagnosis and treatment,” a longtime doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
He said the findings were not surprising to researchers.
“Previous studies have shown that female patients treated by female physicians (compared to female patients treated by male physicians) are less likely to experience underestimation of symptom/illness severity and communication challenges ” Study co-author Atsushi Miyawaki, MD, PhD, senior assistant professor in the Department of Health Services Research at the University of Tokyo, told Fox News Digital.
“In addition, female physicians can help reduce embarrassment, discomfort, and socio-cultural taboos during sensitive examinations and interactions in examining female patients,” she added.
“Patients treated by female physicians had lower mortality and readmission rates than patients cared for by male physicians.”
Other research has shown that female physicians spend more time “following clinical guidelines” and listening to patients than their male counterparts, which are “indicators of higher quality care,” Tsugawa said. Said.
Johnson agreed, saying that prior studies had shown that male physicians may underestimate pain, gastrointestinal symptoms and heart symptoms when experienced by women.
One medical professional said there is a “growing awareness” that doctors are more sensitive to health issues when they can connect directly with their patients. (iStock)
“For example, if a man and a woman come to the emergency room with upper abdominal pain, the man will be checked for heart attack And was given medicine for an upset stomach,” she told Fox News Digital.
“However, the woman may only be given medicine for stomach upset.”
Limitations of the study
The researchers acknowledged that the study had some limitations.
“Due to the limited clinical information available in our data, we could not identify specific mechanisms underlying the improved outcomes for female patients treated by female physicians,” Tsugawa told Fox News Digital.
The researchers said more research is needed to better understand the differences between female and male physicians. (iStock)
Miyawaki also said the study focused on old patients Admitted to hospitals for medical conditions.
“Therefore, our findings may not generalize to younger patients, commercially insured patients, patients treated by other specialists, or patients receiving care in an outpatient setting,” he told Fox News Digital.
“People may focus on the importance of the doctor-patient relationship rather than choosing a female doctor.”
More research is needed to better understand the differences between female and male physicians, Tsugawa said.
“They include guideline conformance and communication style, which leads to better patient outcomes for female physicians.”
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Johnson also said that although the study is of “good quality”, there are “inherent limitations of the study design”.
He added, “As with retrospective reviews, unmeasured factors may influence and distort the results. However, the findings are consistent with other research in the field.”
One of the study authors said the research shows that increasing the number of female physicians could benefit women’s health overall. (iStock)
At a societal level, Miyawaki said, research shows there could be benefits from increasing the number of female physicians. women’s Health,
“Our study shows that at the individual level, the patient-physician interaction, rather than the physician’s gender, is important for patient outcomes.”
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“Thus, individuals can focus on the importance of the doctor-patient relationship rather than choosing a female doctor.”
Tsugawa agreed, saying, “Rather than focusing solely on the physician’s gender, it is important to consider multiple factors about physicians, such as their clinical experience and training, your prior experiences with them, and His communication style.”
