Background: The gender of an OB-GYN is becoming increasingly significant due to the perceived competencies each gender provides. To some, a female OB-GYN is thought to be more empathetic, while their male counterparts are considered more direct in their approach. Exploring such perceptions may aid in the effective allocation of patients to appropriate physicians and encourage more individuals of each gender to pursue a career in OB-GYN.
Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted to assess (OB-GYN) gender preference among the female population in the Western Province of Saudi Arabia. Initially, 433 females participated in the sur vey; of these, 390 were from the Western Province and thus were eligible to complete the study. The inclusion criteria involved females aged 18 and older, excluding only those unable to provide consent.
Results: The majority of the sample reported that their usual treating OB-GYN was female (75.96%), while 24.04% reported seeing a male OB-GYN. Furthermore, 78.4% indicated that it was their choice to see a specific OB-GYN, whereas 21.6% indicated that the choice was not theirs. Among participants who received care from an OB-GYN, 29.9% reported changing their treating OB-GYN solely based on gender, while the majority (70.01%) did not. Surprisingly, socioeconomic factors such as education, occupation, income, and insurance did not significantly influence preferences. This finding underscores the dominance of personal experiences and attitudes in OB-GYN selection.
Conclusion: Understanding geographic, demographic, and experiential factors is essential for implementing tailored, patient-centered approaches in women’s healthcare. This study provides valuable insights for health care practices, policy-making, and medical education by recognizing individual preferences and experiences as crucial for improving OB-GYN care quality and patient satisfaction in Saudi Arabia.
Key words: General gynecology, general obstetrics, social and behavioral epidemiology, prevalence, obstetrics and gynecology, gender-specific prevalence
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