Abstract
A study has been carried out to predict the prescribing and referral behaviour of general practitioners by measuring their attitudes to their roles. Part of this study involved determining whether women doctors accept greater responsibility and feel more competent than men when undertaking those tasks for which they are said to be suited. In May 1987 a postal questionnaire was sent to all 525 general practitioners in contract with Avon family practitioner committee. Replies from 82 women and 289 men showed that women accepted more responsibility for sex-related tasks. For other medical tasks, including those of a technical and traditional nature, men accepted both more responsibility and felt more competent than did women respondents. Contrary to expectations, women did not accept more responsibility or feel more competent than men for psychosocial tasks. The results are discussed in the context of the role of women within medicine.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Bowman M., Gross M. L. Overview of research on women in medicine--issues for public policymakers. Public Health Rep. 1986 Sep-Oct;101(5):513–521. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Calnan M. Variations in the range of services provided by general practitioners. Fam Pract. 1988 Jun;5(2):94–104. doi: 10.1093/fampra/5.2.94. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Cooke M., Ronalds C. Women doctors in urban general practice: the patients. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1985 Mar 9;290(6470):753–755. doi: 10.1136/bmj.290.6470.753. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Crombie D. L., Pinsent R. J., Lambert P. M., Birch D. Comparison of the first and second national morbidity surveys. J R Coll Gen Pract. 1975 Dec;25(161):874–878. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gray J. The effect of the doctor's sex on the doctor-patient relationship. J R Coll Gen Pract. 1982 Mar;32(236):167–169. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Nichols S. Women's preferences for sex of doctor: a postal survey. J R Coll Gen Pract. 1987 Dec;37(305):540–543. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Waller K. Women doctors for women patients? Br J Med Psychol. 1988 Jun;61(Pt 2):125–135. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8341.1988.tb02771.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Weisman C. S., Teitelbaum M. A. Physician gender and the physician-patient relationship: recent evidence and relevant questions. Soc Sci Med. 1985;20(11):1119–1127. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(85)90189-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Whitfield M., Bucks R. General practitioners' responsibilities to their patients. BMJ. 1988 Aug 6;297(6645):398–400. doi: 10.1136/bmj.297.6645.398. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]