Female physicians linked to fewer hospital deaths in study of 958,150 patients
By Priya NairLeadership & Growth Editor, Peepals Shakti
Representative image: whitesession / Pixabay
An Ontario study of 958,150 hospital patients found 30-day deaths of 12.3% under female physicians against 13.7% under male physicians, publicised on 5 November 2026.
What Happened
Hospital patients treated by female physicians were less likely to die within 30 days than those treated by male physicians, according to a large study from Ontario, Canada, published in the journal JAMA Network Open. The researchers, from ICES, an Ontario health-data institute, and the University of Toronto, looked at 958,150 adults admitted to hospital between 2008 and 2022 for one of seven common conditions, including heart attack and pneumonia. The 30-day death rate was 12.3% for patients of female physicians and 13.7% for patients of male physicians. The paper appeared online around 30 October 2026, and the University of Toronto publicised it on Thursday, 5 November 2026. The authors stress that the study shows a link, not proof that the doctor's sex caused the difference.
Key Facts
- Study: an observational analysis of Ontario hospital records, published in JAMA Network Open, by researchers at ICES and the University of Toronto.
- Patients: 958,150 adults hospitalised between 2008 and 2022 for one of seven common diagnoses, such as heart attack and pneumonia.
- Split: 259,759 patients were treated by female physicians and 698,391 by male physicians.
- Deaths within 30 days: 12.3% for patients of female physicians, 13.7% for patients of male physicians.
- Readmission within 30 days: 18.6% against 18.9%, a much smaller gap.
- Possible reasons suggested by the authors: more patient-centred communication and more time spent with patients by female physicians; the study did not test these directly.
- Limit: because the study is observational, it cannot rule out other differences between the two groups of patients or doctors.
Why It Matters
Studies like this add to evidence that the way care is delivered, not only the technical skill of a doctor, can be linked to how patients fare. If communication and time with patients are part of the reason, as the authors suggest, then those are skills that hospitals can measure, teach and reward in all doctors, whatever their sex.
The study is large, covering nearly a million hospital stays over 15 years. But it is not a trial. Patients were not assigned to doctors at random, and doctors who choose different specialties, hospitals or shifts may see different kinds of patients. An observational study cannot fully rule such differences out. A US study published in 2024 in Annals of Internal Medicine, on patients aged 65 and over, found a similar pattern, which strengthens the case that the link is real, though again not proof of cause.
For women in medicine, the findings are a data point in long-running debates about how their work is valued, including pay, promotion and workload. Research that ties a way of working to patient outcomes gives hospitals and policymakers evidence to weigh in those debates. The authors do not suggest that patients should choose a doctor by sex.
Peepals calculation: The gap in 30-day deaths is 1.4 percentage points (13.7% − 12.3%), which means deaths were about 10% lower in relative terms for patients of female physicians (1.4 / 13.7 ≈ 0.102). The readmission gap is only 0.3 points (18.9% − 18.6%). Female physicians treated about 27% of the patients in the study (259,759 / 958,150 ≈ 0.271), and the two groups add up to the total (259,759 + 698,391 = 958,150). Our calculation from the reported figures.
| Measure | Female physicians | Male physicians |
|---|---|---|
| Patients treated | 259,759 | 698,391 |
| Died within 30 days | 12.3% | 13.7% |
| Readmitted within 30 days | 18.6% | 18.9% |
Impact
Short-term: The study adds to discussion in medical schools and hospitals about communication training and how much time doctors can spend with each patient.
Long-term: If further research confirms the link and its causes, hospitals may change how they train, schedule and assess all physicians, and the findings may strengthen the case for more women in senior clinical roles.
Who is affected: women doctors and medical students, hospital managers and health policymakers, and patients admitted to hospital with common conditions.
Key Takeaway
A study of 958,150 Ontario hospital patients found 30-day deaths of 12.3% under female physicians against 13.7% under male physicians, a link the authors say does not prove cause.
Questions and Answers
Do patients of female doctors have lower death rates?
In this Ontario study of 958,150 hospitalised adults, 12.3% of patients treated by female physicians died within 30 days, against 13.7% of those treated by male physicians. The study shows an association, not proof that the doctor's sex caused the difference.
Where was the female physicians study published?
It was published in JAMA Network Open by researchers from ICES and the University of Toronto, appearing around 30 October 2026. The university publicised it on 5 November 2026.
Why might patients of female physicians do better?
The authors suggest more patient-centred communication and more time spent with patients may play a part, but the study did not test these explanations directly.
Should patients choose a doctor based on sex after this study?
The authors do not suggest that. The study is observational and cannot rule out other differences between patients and doctors; its main use is to point to care practices that hospitals can study further.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Priya Nair, Leadership & Growth EditorCovers Leadership & Growth and more for Peepals Shakti. All stories by Priya Nair
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Priya Nair is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
