A recent study conducted by an international team led by Dr. Atsushi Miyawaki from the University of Tokyo has sought to challenge the notion that male doctors are more effective than female doctors. The study looked at data from over 770,000 patients in the US Medicare health service from 2016 to 2019 and examined the outcomes of those treated by male doctors compared to those treated by female doctors.
Surprisingly, the study found that patients treated by female doctors had lower mortality rates and were less likely to be readmitted to the hospital compared to those treated by male doctors. In fact, female patients benefited even more from being seen by a female doctor.
The research team found that the mortality rate for female patients was lower when they were treated by a female doctor, and the same pattern was observed in hospital readmission rates. These findings challenge the common stereotype that male doctors are better than their female counterparts.
The study, titled “Comparison of Hospital Mortality and Readmission Rates by Physician and Patient Sex,” was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. However, the researchers caution that more investigation is needed before drawing definitive conclusions.
The results of this study are likely to spark further discussion and debate in the medical community, but they provide valuable insights into the impact of physician gender on patient outcomes.