Patient choice of provider gender

J Am Med Womens Assoc (1972). 2003 Spring;58(2):117-9.

Abstract

As the proportion of women physicians in the United States increases, patients have increased access to physicians of either sex, and some patients express a clear preference for female providers. This is especially true in obstetrics/gynecology, where patients may have a variety of reasons for requesting female physicians. This column presents a case in which the patient not only expressed a preference for a female physician, but also, in fact, refused care from any male obstetrician/gynecologist. Possible responses to such a request are examined, with consideration of the competing priorities involved.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Choice Behavior
  • Decision Making
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Patient Participation
  • Patient Satisfaction*
  • Physician-Patient Relations*
  • Physicians, Women*
  • Prejudice*
  • United States
  • Uterine Hemorrhage / therapy