Practitioner Gender Preference Among Gynecologic Patients in Iraq

Abstract

As the number of female practitioners increases, patients have expanding options from which to choose the gender of their practitioner. This study was conducted to uncover the attitudes of female patients toward obstetricians and gynecologists (ob/gyns) of different gender and the factors associated with their attitudes. A cross-sectional sample of 500 randomly chosen females was recruited and administered a questionnaire. Among respondents, 428 were married, 72 were unmarried, and they were ages 17-70 years. Most respondents (73%) prefer a female gynecologist and (79%) a female obstetrician. Eight percent preferred a male ob/gyn and 18% had no gender preference. Most female clients had a strong preference for a female ob/gyn. This was associated with social tradition and religious beliefs. The preference for female practitioners declined with rising educational levels.

Women's preferences for their gynecologist or obstetrician

“…In our study, about 60% of participating women had no specific preference regarding the gender of their gynecologist or obstetrician. Patients' educational level [6], ethnicity [6,8] religious beliefs [14,15], cultural traditions [14,15], and socio-economic status [6] were all shown to affect gender preferences for gynecological and obstetrical care providers. Therefore, it appears that our finding of absent preference for physician's gender was a result of a diverse The differences were statistically significant (x 2 = 69.9, p < 0.001).…”

“…Studies of women's attitudes in their choice of gynecologists or obstetricians were limited mainly to physicians' gender. Most researches established preference for a female practitioner [7][8][9][12][13][14][15] whereas some did not [6,10,11]. The reported reasons for the female practitioner pre-selection were typically religious beliefs, cultural traditions and anticipated enhanced privacy during the intimate examination.…”

Muslim Women's Physician Preference: Beyond Obstetrics and Gynecology

“…Much of the research investigating female patients' choice of physician relates to obstetrics and gynecology (O&G), where a global increasing preference amongst women for same-gender obstetricians and gynecologists has been reported (Adams 2003;Chandler, Chandler, & Dabbs, 2000;Lafta, 2006;Rizk, El-Zubeir, Al-Dhaheri, Al-Mansouri, & Al-Jenaib, 2005;Schnatz, Murphy, O'Sullivan, & Sorosky, 2007;Uskul & Ahmad, 2003;Zuckerman, Navizedeh, Feldman, McCalla, & Minkoff, 2002). Board certification, communication skills, professional attitude and behavior, a long-standing history with an obstetrician or gynecologist, and religion and culture are some of the many factors influencing patients' preference (Christen, Alder, & Bitzer, 2008;Piper, Shvarts, & Lurie, 2008;Rizk et al, 2005;Schnatz et al, 2007;Uskul & Ahmad, 2003;Zuckerman et al, 2002).…”

Preference for gender of health care provider in management of erectile dysfunction

“…17 In females, it seems that the preference is based more on cultural and ethnic bases. 18 In a small focus group study, Weitzman et al 19 found an age effect on gender preference. They reported that older Latina women tended to prefer male physicians, based on their familiarity with male providers in general, but without any assertion that male doctors are superior.…”