Patients are more likely to heed the advice of female doctors than their male counterparts, a study has revealed. In particular, recommendations about nutrition, exercise and weight loss were much more likely to be acted on when dispensed by a woman. The researchers say their findings ran contrary to what they had expected - that patients would be more likely to take advice from a doctor of the same gender. Dr. Anne-Cecile Schieber, from the University of Toulouse III, in France, led a team that examined how gender influenced the relationship between 585 patients and 27 GPs. The researchers believe their findings indicate that communication skills play more of a role than gender when getting patients to trust a doctor. The new study suggests that some male doctors could learn a thing or two from female physicians - at least when it comes to dispensing advice on nutrition and exercise. Researchers independently asked adult patients and their doctors the same set of questions immediately after office visits. Questions included information and advice given about weight, physical activity and nutrition. Female doctors and both their male and female patients tended to agree about the advice on nutrition, exercise and weight-loss, according to the study published in Family Practice. However men with male doctors were nearly four times more likely than men with female doctors to disagree with them about nutrition. And men with male doctors were twice as likely to disagree with them as with female doctors about exercise, the researchers found. The only place where male doctors performed as well as their female colleagues was in counseling about weight loss with male patients. Regardless of the gender of the physician, 91 percent of male patients agreed with their doctors on weight-loss advice, Reuters Health reports. Female patients with female doctors agreed with their physician's weight-loss advice 93 percent of the time. But female patients with male doctors agreed only 85.5 percent of the time, the study says. 'Training medical students and doctors on delivering information, showing respect, supporting patient involvement, gaining social and cultural competence, supporting self-reflection and self-awareness...could help them to provide higher quality of care to each patient, irrespective of their gender,' the study concludes. Earlier studies have shown women doctors report feeling more comfortable discussing personal and sensitive issues than their male counterparts do, the authors write. They say previous studies also found that women physicians are more likely to involve patients in decision-making and to consult in a warmer, more patient-centred manner. Commenting on the study, research scientist Julie Schmittdiel, of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, said: 'Clearly, we all bring our backgrounds and social context with us into physician visits with us – whether we're the patient or the provider, or whether we're men or women – and that can affect the outcome of the visit. 'Enhancing the physicians' ability to communicate effectively can make a more productive visit and lead to improved outcomes.' source
