TY - JOUR
T1 - Sex differences in patients’ and physicians’ communication during primary care medical visits
AU - Roter, Debra
AU - Lipkin, Hmack
AU - Korsgaard, Audrey
PY - 1991/11
Y1 - 1991/11
N2 - This study reports on the analysis of audiotapes of 537 adult, chronic disease patients and their 127 physicians (101 men and 26 women) in a variety of primary care practice settings to explore differences attributable to the effects of the patient’s and the physician’s sex on the process of communication during medical visits. Compared to male physicians, women conducted longer medical visits (22.9 vs 20.3 minutes; F(1,515) = 7.9, P <.005), with substantially more talk F (1,518) = 19.5, P <.000. Differences were especially evident during the history segment of the visit when female physicians talked 40% more than male physicians (F (1,518) = 20.1, P <.000) and when patients of female physicians talked 58% more than male physicians’ patients (F(1,448) = 24.4, P <.000). Compared to male physicians, female physicians engaged in more positive talk, partnership-building, question-asking, and information-giving. Similarly, when with female compared to male physicians, patients engaged in more positive talk, more partnership-building, question-asking, and informationgiving related to both biomedical and psychosocial topics.
AB - This study reports on the analysis of audiotapes of 537 adult, chronic disease patients and their 127 physicians (101 men and 26 women) in a variety of primary care practice settings to explore differences attributable to the effects of the patient’s and the physician’s sex on the process of communication during medical visits. Compared to male physicians, women conducted longer medical visits (22.9 vs 20.3 minutes; F(1,515) = 7.9, P <.005), with substantially more talk F (1,518) = 19.5, P <.000. Differences were especially evident during the history segment of the visit when female physicians talked 40% more than male physicians (F (1,518) = 20.1, P <.000) and when patients of female physicians talked 58% more than male physicians’ patients (F(1,448) = 24.4, P <.000). Compared to male physicians, female physicians engaged in more positive talk, partnership-building, question-asking, and information-giving. Similarly, when with female compared to male physicians, patients engaged in more positive talk, more partnership-building, question-asking, and informationgiving related to both biomedical and psychosocial topics.
KW - Doctor-patient communication
KW - Doctor-patient relationship
KW - Sex
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U2 - 10.1097/00005650-199111000-00002
DO - 10.1097/00005650-199111000-00002
M3 - Article
C2 - 1943269
AN - SCOPUS:0026262104
VL - 29
SP - 1083
EP - 1093
JO - Medical Care
JF - Medical Care
SN - 0025-7079
IS - 11
ER -