Hospitalized medical patients treated by female physicians had lower 30-day mortality than those treated by male physicians, according to a study of 958,150 Ontario patients published Oct. 30 in JAMA Network Open.
Researchers from the Toronto-based Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and the University of Toronto analyzed adults admitted with common medical diagnoses between 2008 and 2022. The median age of the patients was 74.
After adjustment, patients of female physicians had a 30-day mortality rate of 12.3%, compared with 13.7% for patients of male physicians. Readmission rates were similar, at 18.6% and 18.9%, respectively.
Internal medicine patients often move between attending physicians during a stay. Because of that, researchers also measured the share of hospital days each patient spent under a female physician’s care. More time with a female physician was tied to lower 30-day mortality and readmission. The same pattern held for 90-day mortality and one-year readmission.
“The underlying cause for this isn’t gender,” lead author Angela Jerath, MD, associate professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at the University of Toronto, told Medscape News Canada. Dr. Jerath pointed instead to differences in how physicians practice, including decision-making, communication style and adherence to best practices.
Study author Christopher Wallis, MD, PhD, a urologic oncologist at Toronto-based Mount Sinai Hospital, said medical admissions work like quasirandomization because patients and physicians do not choose each other. That limits the bias found in surgical studies.
Christine Soong, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, cautioned that the observational design shows association, not causation.
The findings build on earlier research, including a 2017 study that linked female surgeons with a small drop in 30-day patient mortality.
At the Becker’s 32nd Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs, taking place October 29-31 in Chicago, ASC leaders, surgeons and healthcare executives will explore strategies to drive growth, enhance operational performance, navigate reimbursement challenges and prepare for the future of ambulatory surgery. Apply for complimentary registration now.
