Physicians’ preventive practices: more frequently performed for male patients and by female physicians

Abstract

Background: We sought to analyze gender differences in General Practitioners' (GP) preventive practices: variations according to the GP's and the patient's genders, separately and combined, and the homogeneity of GPs' practices according to gender. Methods: Fifty-two general practitioners volunteered to participate in a cross-sectional study. A sample of 70 patients (stratified by gender) aged 40-70 years was randomly chosen from each GP's patient panel. Information extracted from the medical files was used to describe the GPs' preventive practices for each patient: measurements of weight, waist circumference, glucose, and cholesterol; inquiry and counseling about smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, and physical activity, and dates of cervical smears and mammographies. An aggregate preventive score was calculated to assess the percentage of these practices performed by each GP for patients overall and by gender. Mixed models were used to test for gender differences. Results: Questionnaires were collected in 2008-2009 for 71% of the 3640 patients and analyzed in June 2017. Male patients and female GPs were associated with the most frequent performance of many types of preventive care. The aggregate preventive score was higher for male patients (OR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.47-1.75) and female GPs (OR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.05-1.73). There was no combined effect of the genders of the two protagonists. Female patients of male GPs appeared to receive preventive care least frequently and female GPs to deliver preventive care more consistently than their male colleagues. Conclusion: Physicians need to be aware of these differences, for both patient gender and their own.

General practitioner gender and use of diagnostic procedures: a French cross-sectional study in training practices

“…It is consistent with earlier studies of a few basic clinical measurements reporting that female GPs checked blood pressure, height and weight more often than males 5 13. The even higher difference observed for clinical examination for screening purposes is also consistent with the greater level of prevention and screening usually provided by female GPs 4. Conversely, KL Bertakis reported that male doctors in the USA spent more time on technical practice behaviours, such as medical history tacking and physical examination; but this result was presumably not adjusted for potential confounding factors such as patient gender and health problem number and type 24.…”

“…According to an Australian study, female general practitioners (GPs) provide more clinical treatments while male GPs prescribe more medications 3. Many studies report that female doctors provide more preventive care than males, especially cardiovascular risk assessments4 5 and gynaecological cancer screening 4 6. These findings have not, however, been consistently confirmed 7.…”

Prevalence and characteristics of hazardous and harmful drinkers receiving general practitioners’ brief advice on and support with alcohol consumption in Germany: results of a population survey

“…[5] In addition, evidence is good that individuals with higher compared to with lower SES may consume similar or even greater amounts of alcohol and show higher prevalence rates of hazardous drinking. [5,36] Gender gaps in GP-delivered alcohol interventions have been reported before [18,37,38] but we can only speculate on underlying reasons. This could be due to greater concerns about stigmatisation or shame, leading women and individuals with higher SES less often admit alcohol use to their GPs.…”

Improved Patient Experience and Outcomes: Is Patient–Provider Concordance the Key?

“…Although a 2021 review noted a possible effect of gender concordance on patient outcomes, Lau et al ( 23 ) determined that the data was too limited to be conclusive. With more definitive results, the remaining identified studies found that patient–provider gender concordance had no impact on patient experience and satisfaction ratings of outpatient visits ( 9 ) (via the Press Ganey Outpatient Medical Practice Survey), hospitalist performance ( 12 ) (via the Tool to Assess Inpatient Satisfaction with Care from Hospitalists), quality of care outcomes (ie, trust, satisfaction, and decision making propensity) ( 15 ), patient trust ( 13 ), patient experiences ( 24 ), and preventive practices ( 25 ).…”