People treated by female physicians may experience lower mortality and hospital readmission rates compared to those treated by male physicians. The effects were particularly strong for female patients treated by female physicians, a new study suggests.

For the study, researchers  conducted a retrospective observational study of Medicare patients who were hospitalized during 2016 to 2019 and treated by hospitalists. Of 458,108 female and 318,819 male patients, 31.1% and 30.6%, respectively, were treated by female physicians, respectively.

The authors found that in addition to the lower mortality and readmission rates for male and female patients treated by female physicians, the difference between female and male physicians was especially large and clinically meaningful for female patients.

However, length of stay, Part B spending, proportion of intensive evaluation and management claims, and likelihood of discharge to home did not differ between the sexes, regardless of whether their physician was male or female.

According to the authors, there may be several reasons for the notable difference in care: male physicians may underestimate illness severity among female patients; being treated by female physicians may be associated with patient-centered and effective communication among female patients; and treatment by female physicians may help alleviate embarrassment, discomfort, and sociocultural taboos during sensitive examinations and conversations for female patients.

To read the abstract of the study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, click here