(NewsNation) — Men and women who are treated by female physicians have lower rates of mortality and readmission than patients treated by male physicians, according to a study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
Researchers reported that the mortality rate for women was 8.15% when treated by a female doctor compared to 8.38% when treated by a male doctor. They regarded this difference as “clinically meaningful.”
Among men, the mortality rate was 10.15% when treated by female doctors compared with 10.23% when treated by males.
Researchers examined Medicare claims between 2016 and 2019. According to Medical News Today, the research included more than 485,100 women and 318,800 men, and about 31% of both patient groups were treated by a female doctor.
“What our findings indicate is that female and male physicians practice medicine differently, and these differences have a meaningful impact on patients’ health outcomes,” Dr. Yusuke Tsugawa, a senior author of the study, told Medical News Today.
Though Dr. Christopher Wallis wasn’t a part of the study, he has researched postoperative outcomes based on the sex of surgeons and their patients. He told Medical News Today the study’s findings weren’t surprising.
“Across many fields of medicine, numerous studies have demonstrated improved outcomes (whether mortality, readmissions, or others) among patients treated by women physicians. These data recapitulate those findings,” he said.
In 2022, women accounted for 37% of physicians practicing in the U.S., according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The specialties with the largest percentage of female doctors included pediatrics (65%) and hospice and palliative medicine (62%).