Numerous studies have shown that, if given an option, female patients will choose to see a female physician rather than a male .... During the last twenty years, women physicians have been gaining acceptance in the previously all-male medical field of obstetrics and gynecology, and many female patients are switching to women doctors....

The purpose of this research study was to explore the origins of this phenomenon from the female patient's perspective, using subjects' personal stories obtained through individual interviews. It provided a small group of women the opportunity to speak out, through their own narratives, about their communication interactions with OB/GYNs, and in a few cases, breast surgeons and oncologists. By allowing these women's voices to be heard, the study hoped to encourage further research on doctor-patient communication as seen through the eyes of the female patient. Future studies would, hopefully cultivate a better understanding of women patients' specific health care needs, and possibly improve patient satisfaction levels and the overall efficacy of the medical encounter.

The current study also utilized narratives from a female gynecologist, a male OB/GYN, and a female breast surgeon. Those interviews represented a very small sample and, thus, were not generalizable to any other population. They did, however, shed some interesting light on doctor-patient communication from the doctor's perspective.