Being treated by a female doctor is associated with less mortality and hospital readmissions

Patients who are seen by a female doctor would have lower rates of mortality and readmissions in the hospital, which would especially benefit the womenaccording to a study that does not establish a cause-effect relationship between both variables.

The research led by the University of California in Los Angeles (USA) and published in the 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.

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, one 30.6% He was treated by doctors and mortality was observed 30 days from the date of admission and readmission in 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 doctors, in front of a 8.38% when the doctor was male, a difference “clinically significant”, as specified by the university in a statement.

Although the difference in the case of male patients “was lower, female doctors continued to have an advantage, with a mortality rate of one 10.15% In front of a 10.23% of the doctors”.

The researchers found the same pattern in hospital readmission rates.

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 found that male physicians “underestimate the pain levels, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular symptoms, and stroke risk of their female patients, which could delay or interrupt care”adds the statement.

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.

“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“, said.

Analyzing the study, the 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 – noted 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, the researcher at the University of Newcastle (United Kingdom) Gavin Stewart, estimated that due to the type of research “Conclusions should be treated with caution unless corroborated by additional studies.”yes.”

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