Female doctors provide a better quality of care than their male counterparts, according to a new study. Canadian research found that female GPs tended to spend longer with patients, were more likely to prescribe recommended medication and referred more patients for further examinations. However, it also revealed that male doctors were more 'productive' as they treated more patients. The research, which was carried out in Canada and compared 870 general practitioners, found the differences between men and women medics were greater among older doctors. Scientists from the University of Montreal studied the records of doctors based in Quebec, 46 per cent of whom were women. They focused on the doctors' procedures on elderly diabetic patients to see if they were in line with the recommendations of the Canadian Diabetes Association, which provides clear guidelines for clinical treatment of the disease. Lead study author Valerie Martel said: 'Women had significantly higher scores in terms of compliance with practice guidelines. 'They were more likely than men to prescribe recommended medications and to plan required examinations.' The association says patients aged 65 and over with diabetes must undergo an eye exam every two years and receive three prescriptions for specific drugs, including statins. It also recommends patients undergo a complete medical examination annually. The study found that among middle-aged doctors, 75 per cent of women ensured their patients had an eye examination compared to 70 per cent of men, while more women prescribed recommended medications compared to male doctors. A total of 68 per cent of female GPs prescribed statins compared to 64 per cent of male doctors. Patients were also more likely to undergo a complete examination if the doctor was a woman - with 39 per cent completing the examination - rather than a man, at 33 per cent. However, when it came to the number of patients that a doctor had seen, male GPs were found to be more 'productive', reporting nearly 1,000 more procedures per year compared to their female counterparts. Ms Martel, who carried out the research for the Department of Health Administration, said: 'My theory was that differences between male and female practices have diminished over time. 'It seemed to me that more and more men are taking time with their patients at the expense of productivity, and more and more women tend to increase their number of procedures. 'The younger the doctors, the less significant the differences.' Professor Regis Blais of the Department of Health Administration, who was also involved in the study, said it confirms that women doctors spend more time with patients. 'People might assume that women doctors spend more time with their patients, but it is difficult to observe in a scientific study - but this study does just that.' He argues that this does not necessarily make female doctors less productive than male doctors who see more patients. Professor Blais said: 'Doctors who take the time to explain problems to their patients may avoid these patients returning after a month because they are worried about a detail. 'More productive physicians may not be the ones we think.' Recent figures from the General Medical Council show that three out of five young doctors on British hospital wards and in GP surgeries are now women. Women made up 61 per cent of doctors under 30 last year and 46 per cent of those aged 30 to 50. However, men remain dominant in the oldest age group, with women comprising less than a third of doctors over 50. source
