Social concordance and patient reported experiences in countries with different gender equality: a multinational survey.

Background: Patient reported experiences (PREMs) are important indices of quality of care. Similarities in demography between patient and doctor, known as social concordance, can facilitate patient-doctor interaction and may be associated with more positive patient experiences. The aim of this research is to study associations between gender concordance, age concordance and PREMs (doctor-patient communication, involvement in decision making, comprehensiveness of care and satisfaction) and to investigate whether these associations are dependent on a countries' Gender Equality Index (GEI).

Methods: Secondary analysis on a multinational survey (62.478 patients, 7.438 GPs from 34 mostly European countries) containing information on general practices and the patient experiences regarding their consultation. Multi-level analysis is used to calculate associations of both gender and age concordance with four PREMs.

Results: The female/female dyad was associated with better experienced doctor-patient communication and patient involvement in decision making but not with patient satisfaction and experienced comprehensiveness of care. The male/male dyad was not associated with more positive patient experiences. Age concordance was associated with more involvement in decision making, more experienced comprehensiveness, less satisfaction but not with communication. No association was found between a country's level of GEI and the effect of gender concordance.

Conclusion: Consultations in which both patient and GP are female are associated with higher ratings of communication and involvement in decision making, irrespective of the GEI of the countries concerned. Age concordance was associated with all PREMs except communication. Although effect sizes are small, social concordance could create a suggestion of shared identity, diminish professional uncertainty and changes communication patterns, thereby enhancing health care outcomes.