Patient-physician gender concordance and increased mortality among female heart attack patients

Abstract

We examine patient gender disparities in survival rates following acute myocardial infarctions (i.e., heart attacks) based on the gender of the treating physician. Using a census of heart attack patients admitted to Florida hospitals between 1991 and 2010, we find higher mortality among female patients who are treated by male physicians. Male patients and female patients experience similar outcomes when treated by female physicians, suggesting that unique challenges arise when male physicians treat female patients. We further find that male physicians with more exposure to female patients and female physicians have more success treating female patients.

Keywords: gender disparity; heart attacks; mortality; patient advocacy; patient–physician gender concordance.

Fig. 1.

Gender concordance and patient survival: results from Table 2, column 3, 90% confidence interval displayed. Estimates include controls and hospital quarter fixed effects. Covariates held at sample means. n = 581,797.

Fig. 2.

Gender concordance and patient survival: results from Table 2, columns 7 and 8, 90% confidence interval displayed. Estimates include controls and hospital quarter fixed effects. Comparison group is male doctor, male patient. n = 581,797 for full sample, n = 134,420 for matched sample.