Stepping into a hospital for treatment can be nerve-wracking. But, you might want to look out for a doctor in heels next time. Why? According to a recent study, patients might fare better under the care of female physicians.

The study researchers dug deep into the data of approximately 777,000 Medicare-insured seniors admitted into hospitals between 2016 and 2019. All patients, regardless of their gender, showed an improved chance of survival and a decreased chance of readmission within the first month of discharge when treated by female doctors – a gut punch to the naysayers of woman’s competence in medicine.

If you're scratching your head wondering how your doctor's gender influences your health outcomes, you're not alone. Dr. Yusuke Tsugawa, from the University of California and a bigwig behind the study, doesn't claim to have the final answer. Yet, he theorizes that the answer lies in how female doctors deliver care.

Specifically, Dr. Tsugawa believes that the adherence to clinical guidelines and stronger communication skills of female physicians could lead to the noticeable differences in patient outcomes. However, he hedges his bets by pointing out that this doesn’t mean every physician in a skirt will guarantee better results than her tie-wearing counterparts. Before you start favoring women doctors remember that variations among physicians of the same gender can be more significant than the between-gender differences.

Keeping with the spirit of transparency, it's worth noting that gender is a socially constructed concept. Groundbreaking, we know. It could, therefore, have a more significant impact on care provision. Dr. Patricia Davidson, an esteemed medical professional unattached to the study, reminds us that societal permission allows women in medicine to embrace nurturing roles more readily.

Dr. Davidson states that female physicians harness their socially accepted roles to pay greater attention to nonmedical factors like social support, adverse outcome predictors, and patient adherence to medical therapies. Dr. Krisda Chaiyachati from the University of Pennsylvania echoes this sentiment, suggesting that the beneficial aspect of expending time and listening attentively to patients is underappreciated in healthcare.

So, what are we saying here? Go female doctors? Or bash the males? Well, that's not the point, muscle-brain. What we're trying to say is that doc's people skills are a major factor in patient outcomes. That’s the tune healthcare providers should be singing. Now, grab your kale smoothie and let that sink in.