From the Popular Press: What Your Patients are Reading:

According to a recent study conducted at the University of Toronto, gender bias impacts the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. The study used 2 participants (1 male, 1 female), who each solicited treatment for moderate knee osteoarthritis from the same 67 doctors (28 orthopedic surgeons, 38 family physicians) in Ontario. The 2 patients exhibited the same symptoms and experienced the same degree of pain. 67% of the consulted doctors recommended total knee replacement surgery (arthroscopy) to the male patient, while only 33% recommended undergoing the surgery to the female patient. The author of the study suggests that gender bias in orthopedic surgery may stem from physicians’ personal biases, and is calling for better clinician education on bias-free patient counseling. The use of surgical intervention in knee osteoarthritis should optimally be offered equally to male and female patients. Researchers claim that exposing the imbalance in patient counseling regarding total knee replacement surgery based on gender is the first step in correcting this problem.

Read the full abstract on healthday.com