There were similar findings in New York City, where 58% of patients preferred a female OB/GYN, while 7% wanted a male and 34% had no preference (Howell et al., 2002). Only 10% of patients thought the gender of their OB/GYN impacted their care. These patients thought female physicians would naturally understand more about “female issues” than would males. When asked to rank order important attributes patients desired in an OB/GYN, bedside manner, communication skills, and technical expertise were the dominant factors for selecting an OB/GYN — or leaving if they lacked any of these skills (Howell et al., 2002). .
