June 06, 2005
Turn your head and coughHealth and Medicine
The United States and the UK always seem to be trading the hottest new trends. Could the following be one of them? The Telegraph reports:
The traditional image of the British family doctor as a serious, besuited white middle-aged man is out of date. As far as patients are concerned, the ‘perfect’ general practitioner is his polar opposite: young, female and Asian.
A study of hundreds of patients, which asked them to rate doctors on a scale of one to five for perceived expertise, put women doctors - both white and Asian - first in almost all categories, while white, male doctors over the age of 50 languished near the bottom.
Female doctors under the age of 35 were judged to have a preferable personal manner, superior technical skills and superior powers of description.
Patients also stated that they felt more at ease with young, female doctors giving physical examinations, were more likely to have faith in their diagnoses, and were more likely to follow their medical advice and prescribed treatment.
See, I just don’t know about this trend for me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about young female Asian doctors in general, I just think I’d be too embarrassed though. Plus I am strange when it comes to finding the right doctor. When I lived in Houston, after weeks of searching for a general practitioner, I ended up selecting a doctor with the same first and last name as me (not an easy task) except his last name ended in a “y” instead of an “i.” Given that fact, I found it strange that the receptionist asked if we were related.
“It could be a ‘halo’ effect: if somebody likes the look of one aspect of you, such as your looks, they will rate you highly across other areas too.”
The study, called “What’s In a Face” and to be published in a scientific journal called Patient Evaluation and Control, gave white male doctors over the age of 50 an average score of 40 out of 60. Young, white female doctors got 44 while young, Asian female doctors received 47.
Dr Rupal Shah, 31, from Pimlico in London, was taken aback to learn that she fitted the ”perfect” GP’s profile.
“How strange! I had always imagined that an older white male had the most authority. It’s very nice to hear, because I have sometimes felt that people look at me and think: ‘Gosh, she’s a bit young. Does she really know what she’s talking about?’”
abhi on June 6, 2005 12:42 PM in Health and Medicine · T·r·a·c·k·b·a·c·k address · Direct link · Email post
I sure as hell wouldn't want a female doctor telling me to turn my head and cough.
too damn funny.
i fit that profile..
hm... less than 30
asian female doctor..
but i'm not a general practitioner..
specialist in training..does that count :)
what are the odds...
heck yeah, i think women make more 'nurturing' doctors..
finally. some sort of redemption...
Dr. Rupal Shah's comments are very illuminating. The young asian doctor probably goes the extra mile because of perceived unfavorable stereotyping of their group and try harder than the average doctor
most of my doctors have been female (asian and non-asian), some older than me and some younger (well, I'm in my early 40's). I told the GI specialist who 'scoped me that she was one of the few people who knew me inside out ;-)
Turning my head and coughing was never an issue.
I guess that's fair, since I wouldn't particularly want a male doctor telling me to, "Scoot down...scoot down...keep scootin'"
agreed it might be uncomfortable to have someone of the opposite sex do gyn/male examinations..
but some people love their male ob/gyn or female urologists.. to each their own.. actually, the some of the best ob/gyn people are male.. and some of the best urologists in the world are female..
ironies of ironies...
i just remember my parents telling my brother.. 'beta please don't do ob/gyn', what will the rest of the world think?
hehe.. same thing with psychiatry.. everyone gives them shit, since they must be crazy to even consider going into it..
how amazing that someone who is or was in professional school has such an unprofessional attitude. for shame, if that's what you think of psychiatrists, i'm terrified of your opinion of the poor souls they treat.
whether or not our community wants to admit it, even indian people get depressed. if for no other reason than that, some compassion is in order for the mother who is too scared to reveal her post-partum depression or the younger brother who washes his hands until they bleed-- they could be your own. it's not just those silly americans who need pills and it's dangerously stupid to pretend so.
i hope your biases don't prevent you from healing or referring someone who needs your help.
I cant be seen by a female desi doctor especially a young one. I feel ashamed.
ok, I'll take the bait. Why, Punjabi Boy, would you feel ashamed?
I dont know DesiDancer. Imagine if its a personal problem and you have to take your clothes off. Or i need to get an injection and she puts the needle in extra hard and painful because she's got issues with Indian guys.
Ok, the first time I saw a female doctor I was worried I might get excited and, well you know. That didn't happen but what did happen was strange. The doctor seemed embarrased. I just told myself that it is even stranger to have a man holding you there and telling you to turn your head an cough.
somehow i like dating female doctors. attracted to the idea of an intelligent person that is devoted to health of people. i wouldnt not feel entirely comfy being examined by a female doctors. would have a hard time not getting excited by the person telling me to turn my head and cough. that would be embaressing.