Canadian study links female physicians to lower patient mortality

A study published in JAMA Network Open, based on data from the ICES research institute, suggests that patients treated by female doctors in Ontario, Canada, experienced lower mortality rates and fewer hospital readmissions.

Analyzing nearly 958,150 adult hospital admissions between 2008 and 2022, researchers found a 30-day mortality rate of 12.3 percent for patients treated by female physicians, compared to 13.7 percent for those treated by male physicians. The study also noted a slight difference in 30-day readmission rates, which were 18.6 percent for patients of female doctors versus 18.9 percent for those of male doctors.

The findings covered seven common acute conditions, including heart attacks, pneumonia, stroke, and heart failure. The data indicated that the risk of death within 30 days decreased as the proportion of hospital days managed by female doctors increased. While the study accounts for factors such as age and health status, experts noted that the results do not definitively prove gender is the cause of the difference, but rather highlight the need for further investigation into gender-specific influences on medical outcomes.