Should older patients seek out female doctors?

Possibly, yes, according to this study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The study tested the following question: "Do patient outcomes differ between those treated by male and female physicians?" by examining a "nationally representative data of hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries." It came to the following conclusion: " Elderly hospitalized patients treated by female internists have lower mortality and readmissions compared with those cared for by male internists. These findings suggest that the differences in practice patterns between male and female physicians, as suggested in previous studies, may have important clinical implications for patient outcomes."

Read more about this study in this article by Casey Ross.

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