ArticleBrain & spine2026
Patient gender preferences in neurosurgical care: A cross-sectional study with operational modelling.
Article in Brain & spine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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7 authors.
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Abstract
Introduction: Physician gender may influence patient comfort and communication dynamics in clinical encounters. However, empirical evidence on physician-gender preferences in procedural, high-technology specialties such as neurosurgery remains limited, particularly in outpatient care. Research question: What is the prevalence of physician-gender preferences among neurosurgical outpatients across clinical scenarios, which factors are associated, and what are the operational implications? Material and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 324 adult neurosurgical outpatients at a German university hospital. Respondents reported physician-gender preferences across five scenarios: consultation, examination, minor intervention, major operation, and disclosure of bad news. Multivariable logistic regression assessed demographic, clinical, and affective associations. Monte Carlo simulations estimated preference fulfilment under varying physician gender ratios. Results: Between 32.7% and 48.1% of respondents reported a physician-gender preference. Directional preferences were evenly split between female and male physicians. Demographic factors, education, and disease category showed no consistent associations. Symptom-related worry increased preference expression for minor interventions (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.03-2.66) but reduced it for major operations (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.36-0.94). Male patients were less likely to express preferences in operative settings (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.34-0.89). Simulations showed that altering workforce gender ratios changed fulfilment rates by less than two percentage points. Discussion and conclusion: Physician-gender preferences are common but balanced and weakly associated with patient characteristics. Emotional context rather than physician gender drives preference expression. Adjusting workforce composition offers minimal benefit; attention to situational anxiety and high-quality communication is more impactful for patient-centred neurosurgical care.
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