Measured treatment differences between sexes and genders: A scoping review
Abstract
Background: Sex and gender-based inequality is found throughout medicine. Although there has been significant research in gender disparities affecting healthcare professionals, there is a lack of research into gender differences in the treatment of patients. Despite recognition of systemic issues, recent empirical evidence on how gender influences actual treatment decisions remains fragmented across specialties. A preliminary search of MEDLINE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and JBI (Joanna Briggs institute) Evidence Synthesis was conducted and no current or underway systematic reviews or scoping reviews on the topic were identified.
Methods: Studies in English published between 2018 and 2023 were included. Only research which studied measurable differences in the care received by patients of different sexes or genders was included. Both authors independently screened the literature against the a priori defined eligibility criteria. A thematic synthesis approach was used and results summarised qualitatively.
Results: Forty-one papers were included in this review. Of the thirty-eight retrospective case series, thirty-three found a significant difference between the treatment of male and female patients. Of the twenty-nine case series using a multivariate analysis, twenty-five studies found a significant difference in treatment between male and female patients.
Conclusions: The results of this review indicate that men and women are frequently treated differently…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Understanding the factors influencing fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith) damage in African smallholder maize fields and quantifying its impact on yield. A case study in Eastern Zimbabwe
- Alarming situation of emerging H5 and H7 avian influenza and effective control strategies
- Livestock and food security: vulnerability to population growth and climate change
- Atmosphere–ocean oxygen and productivity dynamics during early animal radiations
- Characterization of the global distribution and diversified plasmid reservoirs of the colistin resistance gene mcr-9
- The global seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in pigs: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.