The Influence of Physician’s Gender Preference on Clinical Encounter Outcomes among Primary Healthcare Center Visitors in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

Introduction: The gender of a physician could influence the care provided to patients and affect the doctor–patient relationship in several aspects, making it an important factor in determining health outcomes. Communication between a patient and physician of the same gender tends to be more effective than in a different-gender encounter. The gender of a physician may pose as an obstacle in the healthcare system flow. Aim: The study aimed to explore the relationship between physician’s gender preference and clinical encounter outcomes among primary healthcare center (PHC) visitors in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted among patients visiting PHCs in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The sample size was 433. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among the patients using an online survey, which was validated and modified. 110 were excluded from the analysis. The remaining data (323) were analyzed using SPSS version 26. Results: Of the 323 patients, 73.4% were females, and 56.3% were aged 40 years or younger. 47.2% had no gender preference on their PHC visits. Patients preferred physicians of the same gender. There were statistically significant differences in patients’ reasons for having gender preference ( P < 0.001), including feeling more comfortable, trust, and visit capability and efficiency. In addition, there were significant variations between patient’s clinical encounter and physician’s gender preferences in commitment to the treatment plan with preferred gender ( P = 0.006). Conclusion: Patients visiting PHCs in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia preferred physicians of the same gender. Clinical encounters with female physicians were favored by participants for comfortability, and they were preferred more for physical examinations of the same gender (e.g., exams of private areas). Meanwhile, male physician encounters were influenced by trust, capability, and efficiency.