Table 4.

Patient Health Values/Beliefs^* Regarding Primary Care Physicians by Gender of Patient and of Primary Care Physician: Members Who Were Assigned Their Physician

	Female Patients		Male Patients		P Values†
	Female Physicians (n = 816)	Male Physicians (n = 1,890)	Female Physicians (n = 359)	Male Physicians (n = 2,392 )	Gender of Physician§	Gender of Patient‖	Interaction¶
Values regarding the physician
Physician Communication Values score	24.1	23.6	18.7	18.9	.83	<.0001	.76
Physician Skills Values score	36.2	33.7	32.3	30.6	.12	.007	.73
Physician Prevention Values score	21.4	22.9	20.9	18.4	.98	.004	.17
Health beliefs‡
I worry about my health more than other people my age.	20.8	25.5	38.2	34.1	.45	<.0001	.02
I will do just about anything to avoid going to the doctor.	25.6	26.0	23.7	24.2	.80	.18	.95
Recovery from illness requires good medical care more than anything else.	73.3	74.3	76.7	77.6	.54	.007	.99
Doctors relieve or cure only a few of the medical problems their patients have.	26.7	27.3	28.2	29.2	.67	.22	.96

^*Adjusted for patient age, race, education, income, health status, and facility.

^†P values for physician and patient gender comparisons are from single multivariate regression models; the P value for the interaction of physician and patient gender was obtained by adding the interaction term to a subsequent model.

^‡Percentage who agreed or strongly agreed with the statement.

^§Patients of female physicians compared with patients of male physicians.

^‖Female patients compared with male patients.

^¶Interaction between gender of physician and gender of patient.