Physicians’ gender bias in the diagnostic assessment of medically unexplained symptoms and its effect on patient–physician relations
(2019) In Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 60(4). p.338-347- Abstract
- Nonspecific, functional, and somatoform (NFS) syndromes is an umbrella term for various diagnoses with medically unexplained symptoms. These syndromes are more prevalent among women than among men, and associated with negative preconceptions that can impede rehabilitation. In two studies, we quantitatively assess how patients’ gender affects the diagnostic assessment of NFS syndromes, as well as the healthcare experiences of individuals diagnosed with NFS syndromes. In the first study, our vignette‐based experiment showed that Swedish general practitioners (N = 90) were gender biased in their diagnostic assessment of NFS syndromes, such that a female patient with back pain was more likely to be assigned a NFS syndrome compared to an... (More)
- Nonspecific, functional, and somatoform (NFS) syndromes is an umbrella term for various diagnoses with medically unexplained symptoms. These syndromes are more prevalent among women than among men, and associated with negative preconceptions that can impede rehabilitation. In two studies, we quantitatively assess how patients’ gender affects the diagnostic assessment of NFS syndromes, as well as the healthcare experiences of individuals diagnosed with NFS syndromes. In the first study, our vignette‐based experiment showed that Swedish general practitioners (N = 90) were gender biased in their diagnostic assessment of NFS syndromes, such that a female patient with back pain was more likely to be assigned a NFS syndrome compared to an otherwise identical male patient. In the second study, a large community sample of Swedish individuals with medically explained (n = 432) and unexplained pain (n = 521) evaluated their treating physician's relational conduct. Even after accounting for a variety of sociodemographic variables and other pain characteristics, women with at least one NFS syndrome percieved their physician's relational conduct as significantly poorer than other women as well as men with and without NFS syndromes. When women's pain is more likely than men's to be assessed as NFS, their rehabilitation could be prolonged as pertient alternative diagnoses and treatments are omittied and their negative healthcare experiences lower their volition to partake and persevere in treatment. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/a112e881-5f5b-4f28-b960-e5425cd07ee7
- author
- Claréus, Benjamin LU and Renström, Emma LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2019-07-05
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Scandinavian Journal of Psychology
- volume
- 60
- issue
- 4
- pages
- 338 - 347
- publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85066823082
- pmid:31124165
- ISSN
- 1467-9450
- DOI
- 10.1111/sjop.12545
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- a112e881-5f5b-4f28-b960-e5425cd07ee7
- date added to LUP
- 2019-06-12 09:54:33
- date last changed
- 2022-12-30 11:58:19
@article{a112e881-5f5b-4f28-b960-e5425cd07ee7,
abstract = {{Nonspecific, functional, and somatoform (NFS) syndromes is an umbrella term for various diagnoses with medically unexplained symptoms. These syndromes are more prevalent among women than among men, and associated with negative preconceptions that can impede rehabilitation. In two studies, we quantitatively assess how patients’ gender affects the diagnostic assessment of NFS syndromes, as well as the healthcare experiences of individuals diagnosed with NFS syndromes. In the first study, our vignette‐based experiment showed that Swedish general practitioners (N = 90) were gender biased in their diagnostic assessment of NFS syndromes, such that a female patient with back pain was more likely to be assigned a NFS syndrome compared to an otherwise identical male patient. In the second study, a large community sample of Swedish individuals with medically explained (n = 432) and unexplained pain (n = 521) evaluated their treating physician's relational conduct. Even after accounting for a variety of sociodemographic variables and other pain characteristics, women with at least one NFS syndrome percieved their physician's relational conduct as significantly poorer than other women as well as men with and without NFS syndromes. When women's pain is more likely than men's to be assessed as NFS, their rehabilitation could be prolonged as pertient alternative diagnoses and treatments are omittied and their negative healthcare experiences lower their volition to partake and persevere in treatment.}},
author = {{Claréus, Benjamin and Renström, Emma}},
issn = {{1467-9450}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{07}},
number = {{4}},
pages = {{338--347}},
publisher = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
series = {{Scandinavian Journal of Psychology}},
title = {{Physicians’ gender bias in the diagnostic assessment of medically unexplained symptoms and its effect on patient–physician relations}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12545}},
doi = {{10.1111/sjop.12545}},
volume = {{60}},
year = {{2019}},
}