title: Association of primary care physician sex with cervical cancer and mammography screening.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether the sex of primary care physicians is associated with differing rates of cervical cancer and mammography screening in a contemporary multicultural context.
  
  
  METHODS
  Structured medical record review of a retrospectively defined cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  Academic urban primary care clinic in Montreal, Que.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven male physicians and 9 female physicians, and all female patients aged 14 to 69 years registered to one of the physicians (N = 1948).
  
  
  METHODS
  Screening compliance rates as measured by the elapsed time between the last visit and cervical cancer screening for all women in the study. In addition, in women aged 50 to 69 years, elapsed time between the last visit and mammography screening.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Crude rates of Papanicolaou tests for patients of female primary care physicians were higher than for patients of male primary care physicians in all patient age groups. The lowest rates of Pap testing were among the youngest and oldest patients. After adjustment for patient age, first language, and region of birth, as well as physician age, the odds ratio of having a Pap test was 2.24 (95% CI 1.18 to 4.28) for the patients of female physicians, relative to those of male physicians. The adjusted odds ratio for mammography screening was 1.25 (95% CI 0.97 to 1.61) for patients of female physicians.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Male primary care physician sex is associated with lower rates of cervical cancer screening in an urban multicultural context. The study did not detect a physician sex effect in the mammography cohort.
authors: Department of Family Medicine, McGill University, 14 Arlington, Westmount, QC H3Y 2W4. d.ince.cushman@gmail.com
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Ince-Cushman
authors: José A
authors: JA
authors: Correa
authors: Jennifer
authors: J
authors: Shuldiner
authors: Judith
authors: J
authors: Segouin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D065006:Papanicolaou Test; D058007:Physicians, Primary Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010822:Physicians, Women; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D014505:Urban Population; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult