Patients hospitalized under female physicians had lower mortality

Clinical takeaway: Among nearly 1 million hospital admissions, care led by female physicians was associated with a lower risk of death within 30 days. Identifying the practices behind this advantage could help improve outcomes across the workforce.

Previous studies have linked physician sex to differences in patient outcomes, but most have focused on surgical care. This analysis extends those findings to a broad range of medical hospitalizations and may help identify care practices associated with better outcomes.

According to a population-based study of 958,150 adults admitted to Ontario hospitals between 2008 and 2022, patients hospitalized for common medical conditions had slightly better outcomes when their care was led by female physicians. Researchers examined outcomes across seven common diagnoses and assessed both the sex of the most responsible physician and patients' overall exposure to care from female physicians during hospitalization.

After adjustment for patient, physician, and hospital characteristics, patients cared for by female physicians had about 12% lower odds of death within 30 days than those treated by male physicians. Thirty-day mortality rates were 12.3% versus 13.7%, respectively. Readmission rates were also marginally lower among patients treated by female physicians (18.6% vs 18.9%).

The findings were reinforced when researchers examined cumulative physician exposure during a hospital stay. Greater exposure to care from female physicians during hospitalization was also associated with 7% lower odds of dying within 30 days, with similar patterns observed at 90 days and 1 year. Lower mortality rates were observed across most of the medical conditions studied, although no significant association was seen among patients hospitalized with atrial fibrillation.

As an observational study, the analysis cannot determine the reasons for these differences. However, the authors note that prior research has linked female physicians with greater use of patient-centered communication, guideline-directed care, consultation, and shared decision-making.

"The goal is not to favour one group of physicians over another but to identify practices and behaviours that may help improve care across the health system," said lead author Angela Jerath, MD. “An important strength of this study is that, unlike surgical care, patients admitted to hospital for medical conditions are generally assigned physicians based on rotating schedules rather than patient or referring physician preferences, helping to minimize referral bias.”

Source: Jerath A, et al. (2026 Oct 30). JAMA Network Open. Physician Sex and Outcomes Among Hospitalized Patients