Do Urology Male Patients Prefer Same-Gender Urologist?

Abstract

There are several studies on patients' preference for same-gender physicians, especially female preference for same-gender gynecologists. Data regarding the preferences of urology patients, of whom the majority are males, are scarce. The objective of this study is to assess provider gender preference among urology patients. One hundred and nineteen consecutive men (mean age 57.6 years) who attended a urology clinic in one university-affiliated medical center were prospectively enrolled. A self-accomplished 26-item anonymous questionnaire was used to assess patients' preferences in selecting their urologist. Of the 119 patients, 51 (42.8%) preferred a male urologist. Patients exhibited more same-gender preference for physical examination (38.3%), or urological surgery (35.3%), than for consultation (24.4%). Most patients (97%) preferred a same-gender urologist because they felt less embarrassed. Four patient characteristics were identified to be significantly associated with preference for a male urologist: religious status, country of origin, marital status, and a prior management by a male urologist. Of these, religious status was the most predictive parameter for choosing a male urologist. The three most important factors that affected actual selection, however, were professional skills (84.6%), clinical experience (72.4%), and medical knowledge (61%), rather than physician gender per se. Many male patients express gender bias regarding their preference for urologist. However, professional skills of the clinician are considered to be more important factors when it comes to actually making a choice.

How do applicants, students and physicians think about the feminisation of medicine? - a questionnaire-survey

“…The most commonly given reason to rate a doctor's gender as "unimportant" or "very unimportant" was the secondariness of gender to other attributes such as competence, character or empathy. These statements find support in literature: patients prefer a more competent doctor of either gender to a less competent doctor of the same gender [34,38,39]. Indirect evidence can be derived from other studies in which a substantial fraction "Some parents of our young patients choose a doctor of a specific gender.…”

“…When rated as important, students and doctors most often reasoned that gender mattered for the conducting of intimate examinations and that patients tended to open up more towards a doctor of their own gender. Literature supports these claimsmany patients prefer a doctor of their own sex for intimate examinations, such as anal and genital examinations by their general practitioner [5], gynaecological [33], urological [21,34] and endoscopic examinations [35,36]. That patients preferentially trust doctors of the same sex follows from a review by Sandhu et al [22], which concluded that gender-concordant doctor-patient relationships are distinguished by less tension and more ease.…”

Promotion Disparities in Academic Urology

“…The urologic patient population is majority male (70%), studies have shown that a majority of patients prefer a provider of the same gender. 21 Regardless of the reason, we must continue to mentor and encourage academic success among a diverse population of urologists so that the next generation of urologists-particularly women, since they are rapidly contributing to the urology work force-has gender and racial/ethnic concordant role models.…”

Crowdsourcing Public Perceptions of Plastic Surgeons: Is There a Gender Bias?

“…Previous studies have suggested that women may prefer female providers more often for intimate treatment, such as obstetric, gynecological, endoscopic, and breast surgical care. 19 – 23 Similarly, Amir et al 8 found that of male urology patients with a gender preference, a vast majority preferred a male physician. Tempest et al 24 found that 80% of urology patients have no gender preference, and of those that did, 98% preferred a gender-concordant urologist.…”

“…Patient preferences regarding physician gender have been examined in fields ranging from primary care to subspecialties such as orthopedics and urology. 8 – 10 A prospective study of 200 consecutive plastic surgery patients, all of whom were women, found that most patients had no preference for a particular surgeon gender. 11 Of the 27% expressing a preference, the majority preferred a female surgeon.…”