Patients treated by female doctors have a reduced risk of dying, with female patients benefiting more than their male counterparts, new research has f

Patients ‘less likely to die’ if treated by a female doctor, study reveals

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2024-04-23 22:30:05

Patients treated by female doctors have a reduced risk of dying, with female patients benefiting more than their male counterparts, new research has found.

The mortality rate for female patients was 8.15 per cent when treated by female physicians compared to 8.38 per cent when a male counterpart was involved.

While the difference for male patients was smaller, female doctors had a 10.15 per cent mortality rate compared with male medics’ 10.23 per cent rate.

The study, published on Tuesday in the peer-reviewed journal Annals of Internal Medicine, found the same pattern for hospital readmission rates.

Dr Yusuke Tsugawa, associate professor-in-residence of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the study’s senior author said the findings are important and could help improve care for future patients.

“What our findings indicate is that female and male physicians practice medicine differently, and these differences have a meaningful impact on patients' health outcomes.