Does your doctor ’s gender matter?

This study excluded patients of care for by other types of doctors such as surgeons, obstetricians, and psychiatrists. Would physician gender matter if the patients were younger? The average age of patients in this Medicare-covered study population was nearly 81. How would the results be affected if outpatients were included? How can we use this information to improve care of patients? Undoubtedly, future research will try to tease out how female and male doctors practice differently. Then it will be important to figure out why these differences exist and which ones matter most. It’s probable that each gender has something to teach the other. One thing is certain: accepting the possibility that female physicians may outperform male physicians in certain aspects of medical care, and then trying to understand why, is much more constructive than being defensive about it. The post Does your doctor’s gender matter? appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Health care Managing your health care Source Type: blogs