After hospitalization, patients over 65 are less likely to die prematurely if they are cared for by a woman.
Women in charge… fewer deaths at the turn. If this remains uncertain with regard to driving, in medicine, it is now proven: it is better to have a female general practitioner. Indeed, according to a large study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, hospitalized patients over 65 are less likely to die after admission if their usual GP is a woman.
To reach this conclusion, the researchers analyzed clinical data on more than 1.5 million beneficiaries of the Retiree Health Insurance Program (Medicare) in the United States, between 2011 and 2014.
32,000 deaths
They found that patients treated by a female doctor had a 4% lower risk of dying prematurely within 30 days than those treated by a male doctor. These patients were also 5% less likely to have to return to the hospital within a month of discharge if they were treated by a woman.
According to these researchers, if male doctors could achieve the same results as their counterparts, there would be 32,000 fewer deaths annually among patients over 65 in the United States. This figure is comparable to the annual death toll from road accidents in the country.
“This difference in death rates surprised us,” the team explains. The sex of the doctor seems to make a difference for the patients who are the sickest, “she observes, suggesting the existence of” potential differences in the practice of medicine between men and women which could have important clinical implications. “.
Previous studies had found differences in the way female and male doctors practice medicine. For example, women most often adhere to clinical recommendations and are more attentive to patients.
.
