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The following is a summary of the study “Does the Gender of Emergency Physicians Have an Impact on the Prehospital Care of Psychiatric Emergencies? A Retrospective Cohort Analysis,” published in the October 2024 issue of Emergency Medicine by Schick et al.

Psychiatric emergencies present unique challenges in emergency care, where a physician’s approach can significantly shape patient outcomes. Although prior research shows that a physician’s gender can affect treatment styles in other fields, its role in prehospital psychiatric emergencies remains unexplored. For a study, researchers aimed to assess whether the gender of emergency physicians influences “on-scene” time, treatment strategies, and the escalation of interventions for psychiatric emergencies.

They conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of 2,882 prehospital emergency cases with psychiatric diagnoses treated at a University Hospital between January 2015 and December 2021. Cases included various psychiatric presentations: intoxication (46.6%), suicidal behavior (16.9%), agitation (9.1%), anxiety and panic disorders (9.1%), and other psychiatric conditions. Inpatient admission occurred in 67.9% of cases, with 20.3% of these directly referred to psychiatric facilities.

Results showed minor gender-related differences in care patterns. Male emergency physicians had slightly longer “on-scene” times than female physicians (p = 0.024). However, female physicians displayed greater variability in “on-scene” times across all psychiatric cases (p = 0.025). Additionally, male emergency physicians were more likely to administer intravenous hypnotics during prehospital psychiatric care (p = 0.001). For patients resisting psychiatric admission, male and female physicians were equally likely to enforce involuntary admission; however, males were more likely to use intravenous hypnotics to facilitate this process (p = 0.009).

The study concluded that while gender does influence certain aspects of prehospital care in psychiatric emergencies, these effects are nuanced, affecting specific interventions such as hypnotic administration. Further prospective studies are recommended to deepen understanding of how emergency physician gender may influence prehospital care quality and outcomes in psychiatric emergencies.

Source: bmcemergmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12873-024-01118-3