Prevention advice rates of women and men physicians
E. Frank and L. K. Harvey
Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Ga, USA.
BACKGROUND: As the number of women in medicine and the emphasis on
prevention and primary care increase in the United States, it is important
to know the extent to which female and male physicians advise patients
about prevention. It is also important to know whether any gender-based
differences are attributable to women's higher rates of choosing primary
care specialties. Prior studies have examined only small populations of
physicians, limited physician specialties, or few prevention-related
outcomes. METHODS: Telephone survey from a systematic random sample of the
Physician Masterfile maintained by the American Medical Association. One
thousand US physicians (167 women and 833 men); a 48% response rate.
Self-reported frequency with which physicians review patients' health
behaviors and initiate counseling about unhealthy behaviors. RESULTS: Of
the surveyed physicians, 44% stated that they always reviewed the patient
health behaviors in question, and 36% usually systematically counseled
patients when unhealthy behaviors were known. Female physicians were
significantly more likely than were male physicians to report systematic
counseling about unhealthy behaviors (52% vs 37.8%, P < .001, chi 2). We
also analyzed our data by adjusting for age and including only family and
general physicians and internists. After these adjustments, gender-based
differences remained in the direction of female physicians being more
likely than male physicians to report reviewing patients' health practices
and providing systematic counseling, although these differences no longer
reached statistical significance. Gender-related differences were greatest
for more sensitive behaviors (ie, drug use and sexual behaviors). Primary
care physicians were more likely than other physicians to review and
counsel patients about health behaviors. This specialty-based difference
was more significant among male than among female physicians. CONCLUSIONS:
In this random sample, although all physicians counseled patients
inconsistently about prevention, female physicians reported systematically
counseling patients more than did male physicians, and primary care
physicians reviewed and counseled more often than did physicians in other
specialties.
The Influence of Race and Gender on Family Physicians' Annual Incomes
Weeks and Wallace
J Am Board Fam Med 2006;19:548-556.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Predictors of nutrition counseling behaviors and attitudes in US medical students.
Spencer et al.
Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2006;84:655-662.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Regional Variations in Health Care Intensity and Physician Perceptions of Quality of Care
Sirovich et al.
ANN INTERN MED 2006;144:641-649.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Variation in the Tendency of Primary Care Physicians to Intervene
Sirovich et al.
Arch Intern Med 2005;165:2252-2256.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Is Physician Gender Associated With the Quality of Diabetes Care?
Kim et al.
Diabetes Care 2005;28:1594-1598.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Pediatrician Counseling About Preventive Health Topics: Results From the Physicians' Practices Survey, 1998-1999
Galuska et al.
Pediatrics 2002;109:e83-83.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Personal and professional nutrition-related practices of US female physicians
Frank et al.
Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 2002;75:326-332.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Physical Activity Counseling in Primary Care: The Challenge of Effecting Behavioral Change
Wee
JAMA 2001;286:717-719.
FULL TEXT
Personal and Clinical Skin Cancer Prevention Practices of US Women Physicians
Saraiya et al.
Arch Dermatol 2000;136:633-642.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Correlates of Physicians' Prevention-Related Practices: Findings From the Women Physicians' Health Study
Frank et al.
Arch Fam Med 2000;9:359-367.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Association between teenage pregnancy rates and the age and sex of general practitioners: cross sectional survey in Trent 1994-7
Hippisley-Cox et al.
BMJ 2000;320:842-845.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Predicting Clinician Injury Prevention Counseling for Young Children
Barkin et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 1999;153:1226-1231.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Career Satisfaction of US Women Physicians: Results From the Women Physicians' Health Study
Frank et al.
Arch Intern Med 1999;159:1417-1426.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Characteristics of Women US Family Physicians
Frank and Lutz
Arch Fam Med 1999;8:313-318.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
