The role of expectations in preferences of patients for a female or male general practitioner

Abstract Objective To determine, for five health problems, whether preference for a male or female general practitioner (GP) is related to patient gender, GP gender and/or patient expectations of GP behaviour. Methods Cross-sectional study in 14 health centres in Spain, administering a questionnaire...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Patient education and counseling 2011-01, Vol.82 (1), p.49-57
Main Authors: Delgado, Ana, López-Fernández, Luis-Andrés, Luna, Juan de Dios, Saletti-Cuesta, Lorena, Gil, Natalia, Jiménez, Mónica
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Choice Behavior
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Gender
General practice
General Practitioners
Health problems
Humans
Internal Medicine
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Miscellaneous
Nursing
Patient Preference
Patient's expectations
Patient's preferences
Patients - psychology
Physician-Patient Relations
Physicians, Women
Preferences
Primary care
Primary Health Care
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Referral and Consultation
Socioeconomic Factors
Spain
Surveys and Questionnaires
Young Adult
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Summary:Abstract Objective To determine, for five health problems, whether preference for a male or female general practitioner (GP) is related to patient gender, GP gender and/or patient expectations of GP behaviour. Methods Cross-sectional study in 14 health centres in Spain, administering a questionnaire to 360 patients. Outcome variables were: preference for male GP, female GP or no preference in consultations for five hypothetical health problems. Results Mean age was 47.3 ± 16.5 years, 51% were female. Preference was more frequently expressed by females. Odds ratios (ORs) for a woman preferring a female to male GP ranged from 3 to 508, according to the hypothetical problem, and ORs for a patient with female GP preferring a female GP ranged from 2.8 to 9.1. Patient gender and GP gender had no interactive effect on preferences. Expectations of GP behaviour were related to preferences, except for chest pain. Higher expectations of communication or technical care were associated with greater preference for female or male GP, respectively. Conclusions Patient gender and current GP gender are related to preferences in five hypothetical clinical situations and expectations of GP behaviour to preferences in four of them. Practice implications Educational strategies are needed to adjust clinical encounters to patients’ preferences.
ISSN:0738-3991
1873-5134
DOI:10.1016/j.pec.2010.02.028