Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35523487›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2022

General practitioner gender and use of diagnostic procedures: a French cross-sectional study in training practices.

Amandine Bouissiere, Marine Laperrouse, Henri Panjo, Virginie Ringa, Laurent Rigal, Laurent Letrilliart

Open access · goldAbstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.

Amandine Bouissiere *Collège universitaire de médecine générale, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France.
Marine Laperrouse *Collège universitaire de médecine générale, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France.
Henri PanjoINSERM CESP, Université Paris-Saclay, Saint-Aubin, France.
Virginie RingaINSERM CESP, Université Paris-Saclay, Saint-Aubin, France.
Laurent RigalINSERM CESP, Université Paris-Saclay, Saint-Aubin, France.
Laurent LetrilliartCollège universitaire de médecine générale, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France laurent.letrilliart@univ-lyon1.fr.ORCID 0000-0002-6802-7002
Institut national d'études démographiques · FRUniversité Claude Bernard Lyon 1 · FR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThe acceleration in the number of female doctors has led to questions about differences in how men and women practice medicine. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of general practitioner (GP) gender on the use of the three main categories of diagnostic procedures-clinical examinations, laboratory tests and imaging investigations.

designCross-sectional nationwide multicentre study.

settingFrench training general practices.

participantsThe patient sample included all the voluntary patients over a cumulative period of 5 days per office between November 2011 and April 2012. The GP sample included 85 males and 43 females.

methods54 interns in general practice, observing their GP supervisors, collected data about the characteristics of GPs and consultations, as well as the health problems managed during the visit and the processes of care associated with them. Using hierarchical multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression models, we performed multivariable analyses to assess differences in each of the three main categories of diagnostic procedures, and two specific multivariable analyses for each category, distinguishing screening from diagnostic or follow-up procedures. We searched for interactions between GP gender and patient gender or type of health problem managed.

resultsThis analysis of 45 582 health problems managed in 20 613 consultations showed that female GPs performed more clinical examinations than male GPs, both for screening (OR 1.75; 95% CI 1.19 to 2.58) and for diagnostic or follow-up purposes (OR 1.41; 95% CI 1.08 to 1.84). Female GPs also ordered laboratory tests for diagnostic or follow-up purposes more frequently (OR 1.21; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.43). Female GPs performed even more clinical examinations than male GPs to diagnose or follow-up injuries (OR 1.69; 95% CI 1.19 to 2.40).

conclusionFurther research on the appropriateness of diagnostic procedures is required to determine to what extent these differences are related to underuse or overuse.

Indexed as

General PracticeGeneral PractitionersCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMalePractice Patterns, Physicians'Referral and ConsultationDiagnostic radiologyPREVENTIVE MEDICINEPRIMARY CARE

Identifiers

PMID35523487
PMCPMC9083381
OpenAlexW4229007346

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.