Muslim women's physician preference: beyond obstetrics and gynecology

Health Care Women Int. 2012;33(9):849-76. doi: 10.1080/07399332.2011.645963.

Abstract

When Emirati (Muslim) women (n = 218) were asked about their preferred physician (in terms of gender, religion, and nationality) for three personal clinical scenarios, a female was almost exclusively preferred for the gynecological (96.8%) and "stomach" (94.5%) scenarios, while ±46% of the women also preferred a female physician for the facial allergy scenario. Only 17% considered physician gender important for the prepubertal child scenario. Just over half of the women preferred a Muslim physician for personal examinations (vs. 37.6% for the child). Being less educated and having a lower literacy level were significant predictors of preferred physician religion for some personal scenarios, whereas a higher education level was a significant predictor for physician gender not mattering for the facial allergy scenario. Muslim women's preference for same gender physicians, and to a lesser extent religion, has implications for health care services beyond obstetrics and gynecology.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Attitude to Health
  • Child
  • Choice Behavior*
  • Culture
  • Female
  • Gynecology
  • Humans
  • Islam*
  • Middle Aged
  • Obstetrics
  • Patient Preference*
  • Patient Satisfaction*
  • Physician-Patient Relations
  • Physicians*
  • Sex Factors
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Women / psychology*
  • Young Adult