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Gender Differences in Patients' Perceptions of Inpatient Care
Author(s) -
Elliott Marc N.,
Lehrman William G.,
Beckett Megan K.,
Goldstein Elizabeth,
Hambarsoomian Katrin,
Giordano Laura A.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
health services research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.706
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1475-6773
pISSN - 0017-9124
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2012.01389.x
Subject(s) - medicine , ethnic group , family medicine , gender disparity , health care , medline , inpatient care , perception , demography , psychology , sociology , anthropology , political science , law , economics , economic growth , neuroscience
Objective To examine gender differences in inpatient experiences and how they vary by dimensions of care and other patient characteristics. Data Source A total of 1,971,632 patients (medical and surgical service lines) discharged from 3,830 hospitals, J uly 2007– J une 2008, and completing the HCAHPS survey. Study Design We compare the experiences of male and female inpatients on 10 HCAHPS dimensions using multiple linear regression, adjusting for survey mode and patient mix. Additional models add additional patient characteristics and their interactions with patient gender. Principal Findings We find generally less positive experiences for women than men, especially for C ommunication about M edicines, D ischarge I nformation, and C leanliness. Gender differences are similar in magnitude to previously reported HCAHPS differences by race/ethnicity. The gender gap is generally larger for older patients and for patients with worse self‐reported health status. Gender disparities are largest in for‐profit hospitals. Conclusions Targeting the experiences of women may be a promising means of improving overall patient experience scores (because women comprise a majority of all inpatients); the experiences of older and sicker women, and those in for‐profit hospitals, may merit additional examination.