Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Email: joana. Women may receive suboptimal pain management compared with men, and this disparity might be related to gender stereotypes. We assessed pain management by physicians using an online clinical vignette describing a consultation for acute low back pain in a female or male patient. We investigated gender-related stereotyping regarding pain care by emergency physicians using the Gender Role Expectation of Pain questionnaire.
Both male and female physicians tended to consider that a typical man was more sensitive to pain, had less pain endurance, and was more willing to report pain than a typical woman. These stereotypes did not translate into significant differences in pain management between men and women. However, women tended to be referred less often for imaging examinations than men and were also prescribed lower doses of ibuprofen and opioids. We observed gender stereotypes among physicians. Our findings support the hypothesis that social characteristics attributed to men and women influence pain management.
Prospective clinical studies are needed to provide a deeper understanding of gender stereotypes and their impact on clinical management.
Keywords: gender bias, gender management, gender stereotypes, low back pain, pain. Then, sex starts with chromosomes followed by their influence on gene expression, hormone secretion, and phenotypical sexual characteristics. Gender rises from norms that determine position in power relations, roles, behaviors.
Moreover, gender can be understood as a nonbinary spectrum, with people identifying with neither male or female gender or transitioning from one gender to another. Evidence of existing sex and gender influences on health issues is rising. Gender perspectives are more and more acknowledged in medical community, medical research, educational programs, and health care institutions. Regarding pain, literature reports that men and women receive different pain treatment, 7 , 8 with variations in drug therapy, 9 — 12 in prescriptions for paramedical examinations, 13 , 14 and in psychological care for the same pain complaint.
