Female Patients Should See a Female Doctor?..."Research Shows Mortality Rates Decrease"

Research on 800,000 People Gains Attention
"Lower Probability of Readmission Also Observed"

A study has found that female patients have lower mortality rates when treated by female doctors compared to male doctors, drawing significant attention.

On the 22nd (local time), the British daily newspaper The Times reported the findings of a research team from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The team investigated mortality rates among 800,000 hospital patients and revealed these results.

In particular, the research team emphasized that "female patients treated by female doctors showed a lower likelihood of readmission within 30 days after discharge." This indicates the notable health benefits female patients experience when treated by female doctors.

A study has found that female patients have lower mortality rates when treated by female doctors. [Image source=Getty Images]

Looking into the detailed research, the mortality rate of female patients treated by female doctors was 8.15%. In contrast, when treated by male doctors, the mortality rate rose to 8.38%. Although the 0.23 percentage point (p) difference may seem small, the research team pointed out that it is a significant difference in critical moments determining patient survival.

Meanwhile, male patients treated by female doctors had a 10.15% mortality rate within 30 days after discharge, which slightly increased to 10.23% when treated by male doctors. The probability of female patients being readmitted within 30 days after treatment by female doctors was 15.23%, whereas it was 16.71% for those treated by male doctors.

So why do differences in mortality and readmission rates appear depending on the gender of the doctor and patient? The research team focused on communication between doctors and patients. Female doctors communicate more smoothly with female patients, and female patients feel more comfortable disclosing sensitive health information to female doctors, according to their analysis.

Yusuke Tsugawa, associate professor at UCLA School of Medicine and lead researcher, stated, "This study shows that female and male doctors treat patients differently," adding, "It has a meaningful impact on treatment outcomes."

However, the research team added that further studies are needed to understand the overall impact of a doctor's gender on treatment and the advantages arising when female doctors treat female patients.

They also emphasized that since female doctors provide high-quality care to female patients, increasing the number of female doctors in the medical field would benefit patient health.

Nonetheless, some in academia have pointed out significant limitations of this study. Professor Gavin Stewart of Newcastle University explained to the media, "This study used a retrospective observational study design." Retrospective studies are conducted based on existing data, which makes it difficult to completely eliminate various unforeseen variables in advance.

Professor Stewart stressed, "Since there is a clear possibility of confounding, the conclusions of this study should be treated cautiously unless confirmed by further research."