Women's experiences and expectations of the physician -patient relationship
The present study aimed to offer insight into the ways gender emerges and is enacted in women's medical encounters. Seventeen women recruited from a population of undergraduate and graduate students participated in a semi-structured interview involving questions about their experiences with and...
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| Format: | Dissertation |
| Language: | English |
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ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
01-01-2005
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| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | The present study aimed to offer insight into the ways gender emerges and is enacted in women's medical encounters. Seventeen women recruited from a population of undergraduate and graduate students participated in a semi-structured interview involving questions about their experiences with and expectations of their relationships with physicians. Participants were asked questions about their good and bad experiences with physicians, their experiences with decision making, their expectations about what happens during the typical medical encounter, and their preferences for male or female physicians. Analysis of interview transcripts utilized feminist theory, grounded theory, discourse analysis, and script theory perspectives and techniques. Several themes emerged with respect to aspects of the medical encounter that were significant for the women, including the importance of being involved in information-sharing and decision-making processes and being able to provide information about the social and emotional contexts of their lives. There was evidence of a normative script for an office visit, but, notably, some elements---how to ask a physician questions and how to negotiate a disagreement---were missing. Participants' accounts provided evidence that many aspects of their encounters were gendered and effectively reproduced traditional gender roles common to society in general. Several of the participants recounted stories of being ignored, dismissed and disempowered during their medical encounters. Some of these participants indicated that they thought they would have been treated more respectfully had they been male patients. Participants' responses also revealed that some were reluctant to share emotional and contextual information with their physicians, and some indicated that they were reluctant to do this because of the likelihood of being labeled as overly-emotional females. Many participants expressed a preference to see a female physician, citing reasons falling within two categories: women physicians know women patients better and women physicians are better at listening, caring and comforting. This and related research may be helpful in training health professionals, who should be given opportunities to better understand how gender influences their work. Perhaps an increased awareness may help healthcare professionals provide more equitable services to male and female patients, patients who may become more satisfied and healthy. |
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| ISBN: | 9780542308369 0542308363 |