Effect of Treatment by Female Cardiologists on Short-Term Readmission Rates of Patients Hospitalized With Cardiovascular Diseases

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Background:The effect of the sex ratio of the team of the attending doctors on clinical outcomes remains unknown.

Methods and Results:This retrospective cohort study included 9,544 patients admitted between 2012 and 2018 for cardiovascular diseases. They were treated by teams of 3 attending doctors comprising a trainee doctor, middle-grade cardiologist who played the main role in the clinical management, and upper-grade cardiologist who was responsible for the management. We explored whether the sex of the attending doctors influenced the risk of emergency readmission within 30 days after discharge. The primary hospitalization periods were similar for male and female middle-grade cardiologists. The risk of emergency readmission of patients hospitalized with cardiovascular diseases was significantly higher for patients treated by male middle-grade cardiologists than in those treated by female middle-grade cardiologists (odds ratio: 2.09, P<0.01). This beneficial effect of treatment by female cardiologists was observed in younger (<65 years) patients, male patients, patients with New York Heart Association stages II–IV, and those with emergency primary hospitalization, and in medical teams led by a male upper-grade cardiologist.

Conclusions:The risk of emergency readmission after discharge in patients hospitalized with cardiovascular diseases was ameliorated when treatment was performed by female middle-grade cardiologists. The combination of male and female cardiologists in the attending doctors’ team could result in better prognoses for cardiovascular patients.