Gender-based differential management of acute low back pain in the emergency department: A survey based on a clinical vignette
Background: Women may receive suboptimal pain management compared with men, and this disparity might be related to gender stereotypes. Objectives: To assess the influence of patient gender on the management of acute low back pain. Design: We assessed pain management by 231 physicians using an online...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Women's Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057231222405 |
| _version_ | 1797339315070566400 |
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| author | Léa V Schilter Joana AE Le Boudec Olivier Hugli Isabella Locatelli Phillippe Staeger Vincent Della Santa Vincent Frochaux Olivier Rutschmann Sandra Bieler Vincent Ribordy Yvan Fournier Dumeng Decosterd Carole Clair |
| author_facet | Léa V Schilter Joana AE Le Boudec Olivier Hugli Isabella Locatelli Phillippe Staeger Vincent Della Santa Vincent Frochaux Olivier Rutschmann Sandra Bieler Vincent Ribordy Yvan Fournier Dumeng Decosterd Carole Clair |
| author_sort | Léa V Schilter |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Women may receive suboptimal pain management compared with men, and this disparity might be related to gender stereotypes. Objectives: To assess the influence of patient gender on the management of acute low back pain. Design: We assessed pain management by 231 physicians using an online clinical vignette describing a consultation for acute low back pain in a female or male patient. The vignette was followed by a questionnaire that assessed physicians’ management decisions and their gender stereotypes. Methods: We created an online clinical vignette presenting a patient with acute low back pain and assessed the influence of a patient’s gender on pain management. We investigated gender-related stereotyping regarding pain care by emergency physicians using the Gender Role Expectation of Pain questionnaire. Results: Both male and female physicians tended to consider that a typical man was more sensitive to pain, had less pain endurance, and was more willing to report pain than a typical woman. These stereotypes did not translate into significant differences in pain management between men and women. However, women tended to be referred less often for imaging examinations than men and were also prescribed lower doses of ibuprofen and opioids. The physician’s gender had a modest influence on management decisions, female physicians being more likely to prescribe ancillary examinations. Conclusion: We observed gender stereotypes among physicians. Our findings support the hypothesis that social characteristics attributed to men and women influence pain management. Prospective clinical studies are needed to provide a deeper understanding of gender stereotypes and their impact on clinical management. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:44:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ef03748597b54cc2a3120c02f5847ee8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1745-5065 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:44:13Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Women's Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-ef03748597b54cc2a3120c02f5847ee82024-01-29T16:04:24ZengSAGE PublishingWomen's Health1745-50652024-01-012010.1177/17455057231222405Gender-based differential management of acute low back pain in the emergency department: A survey based on a clinical vignetteLéa V Schilter0Joana AE Le Boudec1Olivier Hugli2Isabella Locatelli3Phillippe Staeger4Vincent Della Santa5Vincent Frochaux6Olivier Rutschmann7Sandra Bieler8Vincent Ribordy9Yvan Fournier10Dumeng Decosterd11Carole Clair12Internal Medicine Department, Lausanne University Hospital & Lausanne University (CHUV), Lausanne, SwitzerlandDepartment of Ambulatory Care, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (UNISANTE), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, SwitzerlandEmergency Department, Lausanne University Hospital & Lausanne University (CHUV), Lausanne, SwitzerlandDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Systems, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (UNISANTE), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, SwitzerlandDepartment of Ambulatory Care, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (UNISANTE), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, SwitzerlandEmergency Department, Réseau Hospitalier Neuchâtelois (HNE), Neuchâtel, SwitzerlandEmergency Department, Hôpital du Valais (HSV), Sion, SwitzerlandEmergency Department, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève (HUG), Geneva, SwitzerlandEmergency Department, Hôpital de Nyon (GHOL), Nyon, SwitzerlandEmergency Department, Hôpital de Fribourg (HFR), Fribourg, SwitzerlandEmergency Department, Hôpital de Payerne (HIB), Payerne, SwitzerlandIntensive Care Unit, Réseau Hospitalier Neuchâtelois, Site de Pourtalès, Neuchâtel, SwitzerlandDepartment of Ambulatory Care, Center for Primary Care and Public Health (UNISANTE), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, SwitzerlandBackground: Women may receive suboptimal pain management compared with men, and this disparity might be related to gender stereotypes. Objectives: To assess the influence of patient gender on the management of acute low back pain. Design: We assessed pain management by 231 physicians using an online clinical vignette describing a consultation for acute low back pain in a female or male patient. The vignette was followed by a questionnaire that assessed physicians’ management decisions and their gender stereotypes. Methods: We created an online clinical vignette presenting a patient with acute low back pain and assessed the influence of a patient’s gender on pain management. We investigated gender-related stereotyping regarding pain care by emergency physicians using the Gender Role Expectation of Pain questionnaire. Results: Both male and female physicians tended to consider that a typical man was more sensitive to pain, had less pain endurance, and was more willing to report pain than a typical woman. These stereotypes did not translate into significant differences in pain management between men and women. However, women tended to be referred less often for imaging examinations than men and were also prescribed lower doses of ibuprofen and opioids. The physician’s gender had a modest influence on management decisions, female physicians being more likely to prescribe ancillary examinations. Conclusion: We observed gender stereotypes among physicians. Our findings support the hypothesis that social characteristics attributed to men and women influence pain management. Prospective clinical studies are needed to provide a deeper understanding of gender stereotypes and their impact on clinical management.https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057231222405 |
| spellingShingle | Léa V Schilter Joana AE Le Boudec Olivier Hugli Isabella Locatelli Phillippe Staeger Vincent Della Santa Vincent Frochaux Olivier Rutschmann Sandra Bieler Vincent Ribordy Yvan Fournier Dumeng Decosterd Carole Clair Gender-based differential management of acute low back pain in the emergency department: A survey based on a clinical vignette Women's Health |
| title | Gender-based differential management of acute low back pain in the emergency department: A survey based on a clinical vignette |
| title_full | Gender-based differential management of acute low back pain in the emergency department: A survey based on a clinical vignette |
| title_fullStr | Gender-based differential management of acute low back pain in the emergency department: A survey based on a clinical vignette |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gender-based differential management of acute low back pain in the emergency department: A survey based on a clinical vignette |
| title_short | Gender-based differential management of acute low back pain in the emergency department: A survey based on a clinical vignette |
| title_sort | gender based differential management of acute low back pain in the emergency department a survey based on a clinical vignette |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057231222405 |
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