[Sleepyeyes]

Do you believe that male patients are treated differently than female patients by doctors?


I still believe men are generally treated as more "believable" when discussing s/s, while women are treated as having "anxiety"-related s/s.

Example: my elderly mother went to doc for c/o "feeling like a lump in my throat" and general malaise. Doc automatically prescribes Valium 2 mg. Mother goes to a different doc, who immediately finds a node on her thyroid. (Biopsy showed benign.)

Next time she gets sick, she can't keep any food down, weak as a kitten after a few days of vomiting. Doc tries to put her on Zoloft, saying that she's "depressed." Where the He11 did he get that from???

Anyone care to share?

[alwaysthere]

i dont agree with it but i can see what they are thinking ,
(most ) women are more aware of their bodies and therefore notice things faster and more often.
(most) men for some reason only seem to go when there is a definately unmistakable problem. (ie MI, trauma etc)

ehh what about a little male POV on the subject.

[micro]

there are some men that i know that will only go to the doctor when they are on their "death bed" and so in that case....the dr. will definitely have something to treat....

there are also men as well as women that are aware of their health and take preventative measures........but a good doc and the majority(can generalize with all) will treat all equally.....like, why not........

and then there are the patients that love being ill, and regardless of gender.......fall and stay in the sick role'

of course generalizations can be made any and all ways.......

but why.....

by nurses.....
is there a difference in how you care for a patient.....?

naw.....not here

micro and out.

[mark_LD_RN]

well i dont think they are treated differently. but from my experience females tend to come in for more minor symptoms and males usually go with more serious problems. I for one rarely ever go to doctor or er for treatment unless it is serious. this can be good and bad,sometimes men wait to long and suffer severe consequences. it may be related to the male ego or the male macho image that is expect of them by many. it used to be seen as weakness for a male to seek medical help or help of any kind for that matter.

[cheerfuldoer]

Ditto Mark! Guys tend to be a lot more macho and plain old STUBBORN when it comes to seeking medical advice. I'm married to one of those guys now. He's the strong "hoo-ah" type!

I always preferred taking care of the male patients over the female patients because the male patients I have cared for were never "whiners" like the female patients were. Boo-hoo-hoo...

[canoehead]

Now that you mention it...demented men get Haldol, and the women get Ativan. And neither get enough to work until 2-3 doses, so they are just getting to sleep as the docs are starting rounds, consequently look overmedicated and can't get a better dose. Ugh.

[fergus51]

My experience is the opposite. I work L&D so, the women I see are rarely there for no good reason, but I notice it's usually the men that are whiney. "I am so tired, I'm hungry, how long is this going to take? sniffle". Like they're the ones who need my compassion.... HELLO?! It's the wife/girlfriend that's trying to squeeze an 8 pound human out of her vagina and she's asking hubby/bf if he needs something to eat. Like she should get up during transition and make him a baloney sandwich

[TIREDmidnightRN]

I see a big difference in cardiology. A 150 pound woman is ordered to lose weight.I have even heard, "I will NOT care for that person til she loses weight!"....Men who need "Big Boy " beds...no mention of weight.not a word.

[oh-agnurse]

Being on the cardiology end also, I don't see a difference. The docs are quick with any symptom, major or minor, in determining if cardiac in orgin, and treating both sexes equally.

[VickyRN]

I have seen a BIG difference in my CICU--men with classic "clenched fist over heart" chest pain symptoms get rushed into the cath lab after hours, whereas women who are ACTIVELY infarcting (just presenting with a little less "classic" symtoms--such as nausea/vomiting/shortness of breath/abdominal pain) are not taken as seriously.