Patients get better care from doctors who are women. But sexism persists in medicine.

January 22, 2022

The gist:

If you’re needing surgery, you may be far better off in the hands of a female, rather than a male, surgeon. A

The Stats:

• A study recently published in JAMA Surgery reviewed outcomes for more than 1.3 million patients and found that women were 32 percent less likely to die (and 16 percent less likely to experience complications) if treated by a female surgeon rather than a male one

• It found that men were also less likely to die in the hands of female surgeons.

• Female surgeons are likely to provide, on average, safer treatment to patients of all genders

• Female physicians are more likely to follow guidelines, collaborate with specialists and ask patients about social circumstances that may affect their health;

• Female physicians also spend more time with patients. 

This particular study demonstrates correlation, not causation. But this data is supported by decades of evidence documenting differences in patient care provided by women compared with men.

Photo: Blend Images/Alamy Stock Photo

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