Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · Jul 2007
Randomized Controlled TrialPatient gender and physician practice style.
Patient and physician gender may impact the process of medical care and its outcomes. Our objective was to investigate the influence of patient gender on what takes place during initial primary care visits while controlling for other variables previously demonstrated to affect the physician-patient interaction, such as physician gender and specialty, patient health status, pain, depression, obesity, age, education, and income. ⋯ There are significant differences in the process of care between female and male patients. Physicians may be making medical decisions based on gender-related considerations. Strategies for implementing knowledge about these gender differences are crucial for the delivery of gender-sensitive care.