Does physicians' gender have any influence on patients' choice of their treating physicians?

Alyahya, Ghadah; Almohanna, Hind M.; Alyahya, Abdullah; Aldosari, Mubarak; Mathkour, Laila; Aldhibaib, Abdulrahman; Al-Namshan, Youssef Zaid; Al-Mously, Najwa

doi:10.4103/jnsm.jnsm_28_18

Cited by 62 publications

(24 citation statements)

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“…A study comparing gender preferences among emergency room patients found that 89.5% do not have a gender preference (14). Among patients in orthopedic surgery, 78% do not have a preference for the gender of the surgeon (15).This is in line with a recent study from Saudi Arabia which found that 67.5% of men prefer a male physician for a genital examination but only 37.4% of men prefer a male doctor when discussing family problems (16). The answers of the partners in Group np did not differ significantly from those of the patients.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Acceptance of female urologists among patients with suspected prostate disease

Steinkohl¹,

Luger²,

Grüber³

et al. 2021

Transl Androl Urol

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The number of practicing female urologists is rising. The aim of this study is to evaluate the acceptance of female urologists by male patients and their partners.Methods: Men who underwent a prostate MRI or a prostate biopsy between January and December 2018 and their partners, were sent questionnaires prior to the examination. Two types of questionnaires were used. One questionnaire asked "I want to be seen by: (I) a male urologist or (II) a female urologist or (III) no preference" (Group np ), the other questionnaire only offered two possible answers: "I want to be seen by: (I) a male urologist or (II) a female urologist" (Group m,f ). All other questions were on prostate MRI and prostate biopsies.Results: Overall, 377 questionnaires were sent to patients. One hundred and ninety-six questionnaires (52.0%) were returned. In Group np , 34.7% wanted to be seen by a male urologist, 60.8% of patients chose "no preference". The answers of the patients' female partners in Group np did not differ statistically significant (57.3% chose "no preference", 0% chose a female urologist). In Group m,f , 54.5% of patients preferred a male urologist, one patient wanted to be seen by a female urologist, 44.3% did not answer the question.In Group m,f , there was no statistically significant difference in preference in regard to the doctor's gender between the patients and their female partners (57% of partners wanted a male urologist, 0% wanted a female urologist).Conclusions: A large number of patients with prostate disease and their partners prefer male urologists rather than female urologists.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Acceptance of female urologists among patients with suspected prostate disease

Steinkohl¹,

Luger²,

Grüber³

et al. 2021

Transl Androl Urol

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“…It is possible that some patients might perceive the formal attire as an element of respect and professionalism, whereas others may consider this as a way of putting boundaries and distance in front of the patient. Studies coming from Eastern parts of the world also suggest local national dress as a preferred attire when physicians were dealing with social, sexual, and psychological issues [54], whereas in other types of encounters there still remains a preference for physicians wearing Western attire, including the white coat [20]. Given the seriousness of the advanced cancer diagnosis, patients may trend toward preferring a more authentic experience with their physician, including more casual attire.…”

Section: Many Factors May Influence Attire Preferencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Patients' gender has been linked with their choices of selecting their physicians; however, this has been largely associated with particular specialties, like female patients preferring female physicians for psychosocial counseling, gynecological, obstetric, and urology issues, with similar reports among male patients [54] and no physician-gender preference during emergency department visits [55]. However, both the female and male patients in our study did not show a preference for a particular type of attire (Table 1).…”

Section: Association Of Gender With Attire Preferencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenging the Status Quo of Physician Attire in the Palliative Care Setting

et al. 2020

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Background, Aim, and Hypothesis This randomized controlled trial aimed to compare the impact of a physician's attire on the perceptions of patients with cancer of compassion, professionalism, and physician preference. Our hypothesis was that patients would perceive the physician with formal attire as more compassionate than the physician wearing casual attire. Materials and Methods One hundred five adult follow‐up patients with advanced cancer were randomized to watch two standardized, 3‐minute video vignettes with the same script, depicting a routine physician‐patient clinic encounter. Videos included a physician in formal attire with tie and buttoned‐up white coat and casual attire without a tie or white coat. Actors, patients, and investigators were all blinded to the purpose and videos watched, respectively. After each video, patients completed validated questionnaires rating their perception of physician compassion, professionalism, and their overall preference for the physician. Results There were no significant differences between formal and casual attire for compassion (median [interquartile range], 25 [10–31] vs. 20 [8–27]; p = .31) and professionalism (17 [13–21] vs. 18 [14–22]; p = .42). Thirty percent of patients preferred formal attire, 31% preferred casual attire, and 38% had no preference. Subgroup analysis did not show statistically significant differences among different cohorts of age, sex, marital status, and education level. Conclusion Doctors’ attire did not affect the perceptions of patients with cancer of physician's level of compassion and professionalism, nor did it influence the patients’ preference for their doctor or their trust and confidence in the doctor's ability to provide care. There is a need for more studies in this area of communications skills. Clinical trial identification number. NCT03168763 Implications for Practice The significance of physician attire as a means of nonverbal communication has not been well characterized. It is an important element to consider, as patient preferences vary geographically, are influenced by cultural beliefs, and may vary based on particular care settings. Previous studies consisted of nonblinded surveys and found increasing confidence in physicians wearing a professional white coat. Unfortunately, there are no randomized controlled trials, to the authors’ knowledge, to confirm the survey findings. In this randomized, blinded clinical trial the researchers found that physician's attire did not affect patients’ perception of the physician's level of compassion and professionalism. Attire also did not influence the patients’ preferences for their doctor or their trust and confidence in the doctor's ability to provide care.

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“…Research into patient preferences when undergoing physical examination identifies that being conscious and exposed can be embarrassing or anxiety‐provoking 15 . Other studies investigating attitudes to sensitive examinations have shown similar findings 12,16,17 . For example, the majority of patients at a breast clinic have a preference for the gender of the doctor who would be carrying out their physical examination 2 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Patient preference for urologist gender

Wynn

Putra

2020

Int J of Urology

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Objectives To determine the factors associated with patients preferring the gender of their treating urologist in various clinical settings. Methods A total of 400 urology outpatients participated in a structured interview on the nature of their presenting complaint, perception of their complaint and the preference for the gender of their urologist in four specific scenarios of consultation, physical examination, office‐based procedure and surgery. Patients who expressed a gender preference received follow‐up telephone calls. Results A gender preference was expressed by 63 (15.8%), 108 (27.0%), 89 (22.3%) and 29 (7.3%) patients for the scenarios of consultation, physical examination, office‐based procedure and surgery, respectively. Patients were more likely to have a preference if they were female or had a condition they considered embarrassing, with most preferences being for a gender‐concordant urologist. Reasons included a previous negative experience and perceived gender‐specific treatment styles. Patients who subsequently saw a doctor of the opposite gender to their preference were more likely to change their mind if their clinical interaction was positive. Conclusions Female patients, those with a perceived embarrassing condition and patients undergoing examination or office‐based procedures are more likely to have a gender preference for their urologist, with a subsequent positive experience leading to patients discarding pre‐existing preferences. With improved understanding of how patient characteristics, perception of their condition and previous experiences can affect their choices in various clinical situations, urologists can better meet patient expectations and address barriers to healthcare in urology.

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Does physicians' gender have any influence on patients' choice of their treating physicians?

Cited by 62 publications

References 0 publications

Acceptance of female urologists among patients with suspected prostate disease

Acceptance of female urologists among patients with suspected prostate disease

Challenging the Status Quo of Physician Attire in the Palliative Care Setting

Patient preference for urologist gender

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