As far as women making better use of doctor's care, I would dispute that. Having been in practice for over 40 years, I know that many women have difficulty in relating to their physician. They have much more anxiety about their health care. They don't have the education to know what symptoms are important, so getting a history from a woman patient is more difficult than getting a history from a man. This overflowing anxiety about health is in itself a barrier to good care because the physician gets irritated.
Time passes, and the patient is still unable to answer the first question.
Other patients are waiting in the waiting room. So the doctor is likely to terminate that patient's effort to explain her problem and goes on to the second, third or fourth question or terminates the history-taking altogether. It is unfair to the patient not to be educated. It is our responsibility not only to educate ourselves and our colleagues but also our patients. All rights reserved.