Preferred Obstetrician-gynaecologist Gender among Female Residents in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: A number of studies have investigated female patient’s preference for their obstetrician/gynecologist (OG) physician. This topic was rarely investigated in Saudi Arabia. Aims: This study investigated OG gender preference among female resident in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and factors that influence their choice. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 596 female participants answered a self-reported questionnaire. Participants were recruited from shopping malls in four different areas in Jeddah using convenient sampling. The participants were asked or questioned about their OG gender preference and factors affecting it. Results: OG gender preference was found to be an important issue among females in Jeddah, as 66.6% of the participants do ask about the OG gender before their visit, and 39.4% would feel uncomfortable if the preferred OG gender is not available. The results showed that 57.89% preferred female OG, 20.47% preferred male and 21.64% had no preference. Participants answered that for presence at delivery, 50.34% preferred female OG, 27.35% preferred male OG and 22.32% had no preference. Also, in the case of OG emergency and critical surgery, 9.2% reported they would refuse surgery if the preferred OG was not available and seek an alternative solution such as changing hospital. The most important factors that influenced the participant’s choice were: the ability to handle OG emergencies situations with confidence (53.40%), OG knowledge about women health (45%), and OG sympathy (42%). Conclusions: OG gender is an important issue for Saudi female, as the majority prefer female OG in general, but prefer male OG in critical conditions.