Lisa Cooper-Patrick
Race, Gender, and Partnership in the Patient-Physician Relationship
Johns Hopkins Medicine|Johns Hopkins University
many studies documented race gender differences health care received patients however studies related differences quality interpersonal care patient physician race genderto describe raceethnicity gender patients physicians associated physicians participatory decisionmaking pdm stylestelephone survey conducted november 1996 june 1998 1816 adults aged 18 65 years mean age 41 years recently attended 1 32 primary care practices associated large mixedmodel managed care organization urban setting sixtysix percent patients surveyed female 43 white 45 african american physician sample n 64 63 male 56 white 25 african americanpatients ratings physicians pdm style 100point scaleafrican american patients rated visits significantly less participatory whites models adjusting patient age gender education marital status health status length patientphysician relationship mean se pdm score 580 12 vs 606 33 p 03 ratings minority white physicians differ respect pdm style adjusted mean se pdm score african americans 592 17 vs whites 617 31 p 13 patients raceconcordant relationships physicians rated visits significantly participatory patients racediscordant relationships difference se 26 11 p 02 patients female physicians participatory visits adjusted mean se pdm score female 624 13 vs male 595 31 p 03 gender concordance physicians patients significantly related pdm score unadjusted mean se pdm score 760 10 concordant vs 745 09 discordant p 12 patient satisfaction highly associated pdm score within raceethnicity groupsour data suggest african american patients rate visits physicians less participatory whites however patients seeing physicians race rate physicians decisionmaking styles participatory improving crosscultural communication primary care physicians patients providing patients access diverse group physicians may lead patient involvement care higher levels patient satisfaction better health outcomes