Among 958,150 adults hospitalized in Ontario, the physician caring for a patient was linked to a measurable difference in what happened after admission: patients treated by female physicians were less likely to die or return to hospital than those treated by male physicians, a study found.
The research, led by University of Toronto researcher Dr. Angela Jerath, adds evidence from hospital care for medical conditions to a field that has often focused on surgery. It was based on ICES health data and published in JAMA Network Open. The findings matter because many people rely on hospital teams for common, serious illnesses, and researchers are still working to understand which parts of care can improve patients’ chances of recovery.
The study followed adults hospitalized between Jan. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2022, for one of seven common medical diagnoses. These included acute myocardial infarction, a sudden blockage of blood flow to the heart, and pneumonia. Of the patients, 259,759 were treated by female physicians and 698,391 by male physicians.
Hospital care can involve several doctors, so the researchers looked both at the most responsible physician and at how much care patients received from female physicians during their stay. The 30-day death rate was 12.3% among patients cared for by female physicians, compared with 13.7% among those cared for by male physicians. The hospital readmission rate was 18.6% versus 18.9%.
Patients with greater exposure to care from female physicians also had 7% lower odds of dying within 30 days. Similar patterns appeared when the researchers looked at deaths at 90 days and one year. These results describe an association, not proof that a physician’s sex caused a difference in outcomes. The study does not establish which parts of care explain the gap.
Jerath and her colleagues point to possible areas for further study. Earlier research suggests female physicians may spend more time with patients, communicate in a more patient-centered way, follow treatment guidelines more often, consult colleagues and share decisions with patients. The researchers say the goal is not to favor one group of doctors, but to identify useful practices that could strengthen care across the health system.
One advantage of the study, Jerath noted, is that patients admitted for medical conditions are generally assigned doctors through rotating schedules. That may reduce the chance that patients or referring doctors selected a physician based on a preference, a concern known as referral bias. Still, the findings come from one health system and should not automatically be assumed to apply everywhere.
The team recommends more research into whether clinical care differs by physician sex and whether the results hold in other settings and countries. Understanding what drives the differences could help hospitals build on effective practices, whoever provides them.