Department of Psychology, American University, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 409 12th St SW, Washington, DC 20024, USA.
Obstet Gynecol Surv. 2013 Mar;68(3):235-53. doi: 10.1097/OGX.0b013e318286f0aa.
Whether practice differences exist between the sexes is a question of clinical and educational significance. The obstetrician-gynecologist (ob-gyn) workforce has been shifting to majority women. An examination of sex differences in ob-gyn practice contributes to the discussion about how the changing workforce may impact women's healthcare. We sought to review survey studies to assess whether there are specific topics in which differences in attitudes, opinions, and practice patterns between male and female ob-gyns are apparent. We conducted a systematic review to identify all survey studies of ob-gyns from the years 2002-2012. A total of 93 studies were reviewed to identify statements of sex differences and categorized by conceptual theme. Sex differences were identified in a number of areas. In general, women report more supportive attitudes toward abortion. A number of differences were identified with regard to workforce issues, such as women earning 23% less than their male counterparts as reported in 1 study and working an average of 4.1 fewer hours per week than men in another study. Men typically provide higher selfratings than women in a number of areas. Other noted findings include men tending toward more pharmaceutical therapies and women making more referrals for medical conditions. Although a number of areas of difference were identified, the impact of such differences is yet to be determined. Additional research may help to clarify the reasons for such differences and their potential impact on patients.
Obstetricians and gynecologists, family physicians Learning Objectives: After completing this CME activity, physicians should be better able to determine how the relevance of studying sex differences among physicians, specifically ob-gyns, can help improve patient care, assess whether there are topical areas in which male and female ob-gyns have reported different beliefs, practices, attitudes, and opinions, and examine how the limitations of survey studies and systematic reviews can affect the findings of these studies and reviews.
性别之间是否存在实践差异是一个具有临床和教育意义的问题。妇产科医生的劳动力已经转向以女性为主。考察妇产科医生实践中的性别差异有助于讨论不断变化的劳动力队伍如何影响女性的医疗保健。我们试图审查调查研究，以评估男性和女性妇产科医生在态度、意见和实践模式方面是否存在明显差异的特定主题。我们进行了系统审查，以确定 2002 年至 2012 年期间所有关于妇产科医生的调查研究。共审查了 93 项研究，以确定性别差异的陈述，并按概念主题进行分类。在许多领域都发现了性别差异。一般来说，女性对堕胎的支持态度更为支持。在劳动力问题方面，有一些差异被确定，例如在一项研究中，女性的收入比男性低 23%，而在另一项研究中，女性每周的工作时间比男性少 4.1 小时。男性在许多领域的自我评价通常高于女性。其他值得注意的发现包括男性倾向于更多的药物治疗，而女性则更倾向于为医疗条件转诊。尽管确定了许多差异领域，但这些差异的影响仍有待确定。进一步的研究可能有助于阐明这些差异的原因及其对患者的潜在影响。
妇产科医生、家庭医生学习目标：完成这项 CME 活动后，医生应该能够更好地确定研究医生（特别是妇产科医生）之间的性别差异的相关性如何帮助改善患者护理，评估男性和女性妇产科医生是否报告了不同的信念、实践、态度和意见，以及检查调查研究和系统评价的局限性如何影响这些研究和评价的结果。
