Rationale and objectives: To assess how sex affects patients' drug-seeking, pain, and anxiety during interventional procedures.
Materials and methods: Data from 159 patients were derived from two control groups of a prospective randomized trial. Seventy-six patients were male, 83 female. Patients in the standard group (n = 79) received the standard care typical for the institution; patients in the attention group (n = 80) had an additional empathic provider who stayed with them throughout the procedure. All patients were asked every 15 minutes to rate their pain and anxiety on 0-10 self-rating scales. All had access to intravenous sedatives and narcotics through a patient-controlled analgesia model. Univariate analysis of variance with a between-patient factor for group and another between-patient factor for sex was used.
Results: There was a significant interaction between group attribution and sex with regard to drug request and pain and anxiety ratings. Patients in the attention group requested significantly fewer drugs than patients in the standard group. Men asked for more drugs than women under standard care, but for less in the attention group. Pain and anxiety ratings for women were significantly lower in the attention group compared with standard treatment, but for men, there was no significant difference.
Conclusion: Although both men and women benefit from the presence of an empathic provider during invasive medical procedures, men benefit more in terms of medication reduction, whereas women benefit more in terms of pain and anxiety reduction. Awareness of these gender-specific differences can aid in formulation of patient-specific treatment plans.