Treatment decision making in mature adults: Gender differences

Authors

Barbara M. Crawford, University of Toronto
Marta Meana, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Donna E. Stewart, University Health Network Women's Health ProgramFollow
Angela M. Cheung, University Health Network Women's Health ProgramFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2000

Publication Title

Health Care for Women International

Volume

21

Issue

2

First page number:

91

Last page number:

104

Abstract

Studies have shown that women are less likely to receive several specific medical interventions, including organ transplantation, cardiac diagnostic studies, and coronary artery bypass surgery. This study investigates the hypothesis that this inequity may be explained by gender differences in treatment decisions made by older adults. A self-report questionnaire using hypothetical situations, treatment choices, and influencing factors was designed based on literature review and interviews with key informants. The questionnaire was administered to 250 nonpatient adults over the age of 50 in urban and rural settings in Ontario, Canada. Results revealed no significant gender differences in hypothetical treatment decisions made by patients nor in the factors affecting those decisions. In the absence of evidence that patient choice accounts for gender differences in utilization rates, physicians need to carefully examine their assumptions about patient preference and gender in the provision of specific interventions to male and female patients.

Keywords

Decision making--Sex differences; Health behavior--Decision making; Medical care--Decision making; Patient refusal of treatment; Physician and patient

Disciplines

Community-Based Research | Counseling Psychology | Gender and Sexuality | Health Psychology | Medicine and Health | Psychiatry and Psychology | Psychology

Language

English

Permissions

Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or use interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the article. Publisher copyright policy allows author to archive post-print (author’s final manuscript). When post-print is available or publisher policy changes, the article will be deposited

Publisher Citation

Crawford, B. M., Meana, M., Stewart, D., & Cheung, A. M. (2000). Treatment decision making in mature adults: gender differences. Health Care for Women International, 21(2), 91-104.

Repository Citation

Crawford, B. M., Meana, M., Stewart, D. E., Cheung, A. M. (2000). Treatment decision making in mature adults: Gender differences. Health Care for Women International, 21(2), 91-104.