title: Bedouin Women's Gender Preferences When Choosing Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
abstract: Patients' preferences in choosing obstetricians/gynecologists are widely investigated, but studies among traditional populations are lacking. Bedouins comprise a traditional Arab Muslim society in the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia), The Levant (Syria, Jordan and Israel) and North Africa (Egypt). Most of the Bedouins in Israel populate several villages, mostly in the southern part of the country. This cross-sectional study compared 200 Bedouin and 200 Jewish women who responded to an anonymous questionnaire. Queried on gender alone, more Bedouin responders preferred female obstetricians/gynecologists (59.5 vs. 33% Jewish responders, p value <0.0001). Bedouin women preferred a female obstetrician/gynecologist for intimate procedures [feeling more comfortable (66.3%) and believing that females were more gentle (50%)]. However, they and the Jewish participants ranked ability, experience and knowledge as the top 3 qualities of an obstetrician/gynecologist, putting reputation in 4th place and gender in 5th place. Bedouin women strongly preferred female obstetricians/gynecologists, although professional skills were an important factor in their choice of caregiver. The ideal obstetrician/gynecologist for Bedouin women would be a skilled, knowledgeable, and experienced female.
authors: Sarah Racine IVF Unit, Lis Maternity Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, 6 Weizmann Street, 6423906, Tel Aviv, Israel. hadarnmb@gmail.com.|Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. hadarnmb@gmail.com.
authors: Hadar
authors: H
authors: Amir
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soroka Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel.|Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors: Hanaa
authors: H
authors: Abokaf
authors: Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
authors: Yifat Amir
authors: YA
authors: Levy
authors: Sarah Racine IVF Unit, Lis Maternity Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, 6 Weizmann Street, 6423906, Tel Aviv, Israel.|Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors: Foad
authors: F
authors: Azem
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Soroka Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel.|Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors: Eyal
authors: E
authors: Sheiner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002755:Choice Behavior; D005260:Female; D006176:Gynecology; D006801:Humans; D007514:Islam; D008875:Middle Aged; D009774:Obstetrics; D057240:Patient Preference; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Bedouins; Gender; Obstetricians/gynecologists; Religious