In 1973, Billy Jean King changed the way the world felt about women in sports. Today, a new analysis of patient outcomes might begin a shift in how we view the contributions and value of women in medicine.
The gender gap in medicine is closing. In 2016, female physicians accounted for 46 percent of U.S. medical school graduates and one-third of the U.S. physician workforce. In addition, women are increasingly choosing to pursue a care in medicine — including the 10,474 women who enrolled in medical school during 2016.
Just as there are differences between the sexes, there is also evidence that men and women practice medicine differently. The authors of the analysis point to studies that shown female physicians may be more likely than their male colleagues to:
- Adhere to clinical guidelines
- Provide preventative care more often
- Use more patient-centered communications
- Perform as well, or better, on standardized examinations
- Provide more psychosocial counseling to patients
But the impact of female physicians on patient outcomes is now coming into focus with the analysis of 30-day mortality and readmission rates of hospitalized Medicare patients treated by general internists. The report, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), reveals differences in practice patterns that may have important clinical implications for patient outcomes.
Key data points include:
- Hospitalizations of 1,583,028 Medicare beneficiaries were analyzed
- Patients treated by female physicians had lower (11.07 percent) 30-day mortality rates compared to male physicians (11.49 percent)
- Patients treated by female physicians had lower 30-day readmission rates (15.02 percent vs. 15.57 percent)
- Differences persisted across eight common medical conditions and across patient severity
- Approximately 32,000 fewer patients would die each year if male physicians could achieve the same outcomes
The authors did take steps to address potential confounders and to adjust for patient and physician characteristics and hospital environments. They also completed a sensitivity analysis of only hospitalists, and findings were unaffected.
The results help dim the light on assumptions that trade-offs between work and family by women physicians can compromise quality of care and the justification for higher salaries for male physicians.
While this study focused on Medicare beneficiaries, it will be interesting to see if the findings are replicated by looking at younger populations, such as Medicaid beneficiaries or those with private insurance plans. Another interesting question that this study leads to is, "Are female surgeons getting better patient outcomes than their male colleagues?"
Understanding the "why" of the differences in practice patterns and outcomes may ultimately help improve care for all patients — no matter who provides their care.
