Health
Some patients who see female doctors could live longer, study suggests: ‘Higher empathy’
Patients who are treated by a female physician could live longer and have a reduced risk of hospitalization, new research has found.
These benefits were seen more in female patients compared to males, according to the study, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
“Among older adults hospitalized for a medical condition, mortality and readmission rates were lower for patients treated by female physicians than those cared for by male physicians — and the benefit of receiving treatment from female physicians was greater for female patients than for male patients,” lead study author Dr. Yusuke Tsugawa, associate professor-in-residence of medicine in the division of general internal medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, told Fox News Digital.
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The study included 700,000 Medicare beneficiaries 65 years of age and older who had been hospitalized between 2016 and 2019.
The mortality rate was 8.15% for female patients treated by female physicians — compared to 8.38% for those treated by male physicians, according to a press release from UCLA Health.
Patients who are treated by a female physician could live longer and have a reduced risk of hospitalization, new research found. (iStock)
Dr. Shana Johnson, a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician in Scottsdale, Arizona, who was not involved in the research, noted that the findings are “clinically significant,” as the difference translates to an additional 1,053 female patient deaths.
Male patients also had lower mortality rates when treated by female physicians, but the difference was smaller.
Why the difference?
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, was not involved in the study but called the findings “fascinating.”
“Women tend to have a higher empathy quotient, which can impact patient care and diagnosis and treatment directly,” he told Fox News Digital.
“There has been a patriarchy in medicine for a long time, and there still may be some residual discounting of women’s health issues or [doctors] seeing them as emotionally based,” Siegel added.
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There is a “growing awareness” that doctors are more sensitive to health issues when they can relate directly to their patients, the doctor noted.
“This applies to screening, diagnosis and treatment,” he said.
“Women tend to have a higher empathy quotient, which can impact patient care and diagnosis and treatment directly,” one doctor old Fox News Digital. (iStock)
The findings were not surprising to the researchers, they said.
“Previous studies have shown that female patients treated by a female physician (versus female patients treated by a male physician) are less likely to experience underappreciation in symptom/illness severity assessment and communication challenges,” study co-author Atsushi Miyawaki, M.D., PhD, senior assistant professor in the Department of Health Services Research at the University of Tokyo, told Fox News Digital.
“Also, female physicians may help alleviate embarrassment, discomfort and sociocultural taboos during sensitive examinations and conversations [with] female patients,” he said.
“Mortality and readmission rates were lower for patients treated by female physicians than those cared for by male physicians.”
Other research has shown that female physicians are more likely to “adhere to clinical guidelines” and spend more time listening to patients compared to their male counterparts, which are “indicators of high-quality care,” added Tsugawa.
Johnson agreed, pointing out that prior studies have found male physicians may underestimate pain, gastrointestinal symptoms and heart symptoms when experienced by women.
There is a “growing awareness” that doctors are more sensitive to health issues when they can relate directly to their patients, one medical professional said. (iStock)
“For instance, if a male and a female presented to the emergency room with upper stomach pain, the male would be checked for a heart attack and given medication for an upset stomach,” she told Fox News Digital.
“The woman, however, may only be given medication for an upset stomach.”
Study limitations
The study had some limitations, the researchers acknowledged.
“Due to limited clinical information available in our data, we could not identify the specific mechanisms underlying better outcomes for female patients treated by female physicians,” Tsugawa told Fox News Digital.
More research is needed to better understand the differences between female and male physicians, the researchers said. (iStock)
Miyawaki also noted that the study focused on older patients admitted to hospitals for medical conditions.
“Hence, our findings may not be generalizable to younger patients, commercially insured patients, those treated by other specialists or patients receiving care in an outpatient setting,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Individuals may focus on the importance of the doctor-patient relationship rather than on whether to choose a female doctor.”
More research is needed to better understand the differences between female and male physicians, Tsugawa said.
“Those include guideline concordance and communication style, which lead to better patient outcomes for female physicians.”
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Johnson also noted that while the study is of “good quality,” there are “inherent limitations to the study design.”
She said, “With a retrospective review, unmeasured factors can affect and skew the results. The findings do align with other research in the area, however.”
The research suggests that increasing the number of female physicians could benefit women’s health overall, one of the study authors said. (iStock)
At the society level, Miyawaki said, the research suggests that increasing the number of female physicians could benefit women’s health.
“At the individual level, patient-physician interactions, rather than physician gender itself, are important for patient outcomes, our study suggests,” he said.
“Thus, individuals may focus on the importance of the doctor-patient relationship rather than on whether to choose a female doctor.”
Tsugawa agreed, noting, “It is important to consider multiple factors about physicians, such as their clinical experience and training, your prior experiences with them, and their communication style, rather than focusing solely on the physician’s sex.”
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Health
Cruise ship linked to deadly Hantavirus outbreak arrives off Tenerife as passenger evacuation begins
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The cruise ship linked to a deadly Hantavirus outbreak arrived early Sunday off the Spanish island of Tenerife, where passengers began to evacuate and fly to their home countries.
Passengers are being tested by Spanish health authorities to ensure they are asymptomatic before being transported ashore in small boats, Spanish officials said, according to Reuters.
Spanish health authorities confirmed that the first plane carrying the Spanish passengers has departed for a military hospital in Madrid, where they will be under quarantine.
The 17 Americans aboard the MV Hondius will be flown to a medical center in Nebraska after health officials allow them to disembark.
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The cruise ship MV Hondius arrives at the port of Granadilla de Abona after being affected by a Hantavirus outbreak, in Tenerife, Spain, May 10, 2026. (REUTERS/Hannah McKay)
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) official told ABC News on Saturday morning that federal officials currently do not plan to mandate quarantine when the American passengers arrive in Nebraska.
They will instead be screened upon arrival in the U.S. and either stay briefly at Nebraska’s National Quarantine Unit or return home to monitor for symptoms for 42 days while staying in contact with local health authorities, the official said.
The ship set course for Spain on Wednesday from the coast of Cape Verde after the WHO and European Union requested assistance in managing the outbreak.
The ship’s arrival comes hours after World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived on the island.
The WHO said Friday that eight people aboard the ship had fallen ill, including three who died. Six cases have been confirmed, with two others suspected.
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A cruise ship linked to a Hantavirus outbreak anchored near the Spanish island of Tenerife ahead of a planned evacuation. (REUTERS/Hannah McKay)
In a statement Saturday, Ghebreyesus said the public health risk remains low.
“I know you are worried. I know that when you hear the word ‘outbreak’ and watch a ship sail toward your shores, memories surface that none of us have fully put to rest,” he said.
“The pain of 2020 is still real, and I do not dismiss it for a single moment. But I need you to hear me clearly: this is not another COVID-19. The current public health risk from Hantavirus remains low. My colleagues and I have said this unequivocally, and I will say it again to you now,” he continued.
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A police boat operates next to the cruise ship MV Hondius at the port of Granadilla de Abona after being affected by a hantavirus outbreak, in Tenerife, Spain, May 10, 2026. (REUTERS/Hannah McKay)
Ghebreyesus noted that the virus identified aboard the ship is the Andes strain of hantavirus, which can be severe.
“Three people have lost their lives, and our hearts go out to their families,” he wrote, reiterating that the public health risk posed by the virus remained low.
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An ambulance evacuates patients from the MV Hondius cruise ship to the airport in Praia, Cape Verde, on May 6, 2026. (Misper Apawu/AP)
About 30 crew members are expected to remain on board as the vessel continues to the Netherlands, where it will be disinfected.
Fox News Digital’s Robert McGreevy, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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FIRST ON FOX: Eating healthy doesn’t have to be complicated, according to celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, the restaurateur and owner of New York City’s new Bar Rocco – whose philosophy and cookbooks are rooted in health-conscious dieting – shared a few misconceptions about healthy eating, especially when the end goal is weight loss.
“There is no one fix, there’s no one cure for everyone,” he said. “Everyone has different needs and their weight-loss journey is going to be different. So, you really have to figure out what your problem is.”
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This could be a body composition imbalance, a lack of exercise or a generally poor diet, DiSpirito mentioned. “Figure out what will help you address those issues most quickly,” he advised.
Rocco DiSpirito recently opened Bar Rocco in New York City. The Rockefeller Center location offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. (Eric Medsker)
“Even if you’re working out, unless you’re LeBron James and burning 8,000 calories a game, there’s no way to out-train a bad diet, so at some point in our lives, we have to come to a reckoning with what we consume.”
DiSpirito says it’s “always a good idea” to start with the basics, including consuming less sugar, less alcohol, fewer processed foods and fewer processed carbs, as well as eating more protein.
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The chef revealed that the No. 1 issue he’s witnessed is that people have “no idea how many calories they’re consuming.”
“We’re all consuming two to three times more than we realize,” he noted. “And even when we count and use the apps, there’s a lot of fuzzy math going on.”
“So, getting a handle on how much you’re consuming, even the little picking that you do while you’re cooking and cleaning, all that counts and adds up quickly.”
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As the healthy eating movement gains traction, DiSpirito called it “very important” for most of the U.S., as the country faces an “obesity issue.”
“Restaurants are definitely thinking about it as well,” he said. “[But] I wouldn’t say restaurants are making it their [top] priority.”
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“We still have a lot of work to do just getting people in and seated and fed and their checks to them when they want. But there are some restaurants that are focused on it.”
As the healthy eating movement gains traction, DiSpirito called it “very important” for most of the U.S., as the country faces an “obesity issue.” (iStock)
Privately, DiSpirito said he has focused on providing healthy meal plans for clients.
“But for restaurants to approach healthy eating is a little difficult, because it’s a whole different kind of cooking and a [different] kind of energy,” he said.
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“Healthy eating isn’t fun – so to bring that into a fun atmosphere is kind of difficult. It’s difficult to mix the two.”
This crossroads between indulgence and health may be a tricky mix, especially among the food supply in America, DiSpirito acknowledged – but the two align more easily in other countries where the food is not tampered with, he added.
Celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito says other countries, like Italy, “don’t allow a lot of messing around with food that we allow in the United States.” (Jonathan Pushnik)
“If you go to Italy, for example, and just eat everything they eat, it feels indulgent … and it’s also very healthy,” he said. “And the key is the food supply is still natural. It’s still organic.”
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“There aren’t lots of sprayed food [or] sprayed vegetables in Italy,” DiSpirito went on. “They don’t allow a lot of messing around with food that we allow in the United States, the GMO-ing, the modifying.”
“So healthy and indulgent are not mutually exclusive, but in [our] food supply system … it’s very difficult.”
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