NYTimes on Tuesday...very interesting

[Guest guest]

Blankhttp://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/23/health/23test.html

Testing: Choosing a Costly Wait for Cancer Screening

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR

Published: August 23, 2005

Some women so strongly prefer a female colonoscopist that they are willing to

delay the procedure for a month or pay up to $200 extra to have a woman perform

it.

A survey of 202 women waiting for primary care appointments found the preference

so marked that the authors concluded that it might prevent women from getting

timely screening for colorectal cancer. The report appears this month in

Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

Almost half the women preferred a woman endoscopist, while 1.4 percent preferred

a man. Eighty-seven percent of those who preferred a woman were willing to wait

up to 30 days for an appointment, and 14 percent were willing to pay up to $200

more to assure their choice. Women who had already had a colonoscopy were 61

percent less likely to have a preference.

Three-quarters of those who wanted a woman cited embarrassment as the primary

reason. Half said that a woman would have more empathy, and 36 percent said they

were better listeners. Twenty percent said they thought a woman would be more

competent.

The study found that for 5 percent of women having a male perform the procedure

was an absolute barrier to having it.

" Based on the statistics on colon cancer, " said Dr. M. Inadomi, an

associate professor of medicine at the University of Michigan and a co-author of

the study, " this means that more than 1,000 cases of death from colon cancer in

the United States may be directly related to gender preference for the screening

procedure. "

The authors concede, however, that their findings may not apply to a wide swath

of the population because the study participants were largely affluent, highly

educated white women.

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Click here to download a copy of Today's New York Times

[Guest guest]

Thanks for sharing. Makes no difference to me which gender. Just

wished I would of been screened sooner. Ingrid

> Blankhttp://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/23/health/23test.html

>

> Testing: Choosing a Costly Wait for Cancer Screening

> By NICHOLAS BAKALAR

> Published: August 23, 2005

> Some women so strongly prefer a female colonoscopist that they are

willing to delay the procedure for a month or pay up to $200 extra to

have a woman perform it.

>

> A survey of 202 women waiting for primary care appointments found

the preference so marked that the authors concluded that it might

prevent women from getting timely screening for colorectal cancer.

The report appears this month in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

>

> Almost half the women preferred a woman endoscopist, while 1.4

percent preferred a man. Eighty-seven percent of those who preferred

a woman were willing to wait up to 30 days for an appointment, and 14

percent were willing to pay up to $200 more to assure their choice.

Women who had already had a colonoscopy were 61 percent less likely

to have a preference.

>

> Three-quarters of those who wanted a woman cited embarrassment as

the primary reason. Half said that a woman would have more empathy,

and 36 percent said they were better listeners. Twenty percent said

they thought a woman would be more competent.

>

> The study found that for 5 percent of women having a male perform

the procedure was an absolute barrier to having it.

>

> " Based on the statistics on colon cancer, " said Dr. M.

Inadomi, an associate professor of medicine at the University of

Michigan and a co-author of the study, " this means that more than

1,000 cases of death from colon cancer in the United States may be

directly related to gender preference for the screening procedure. "

>

> The authors concede, however, that their findings may not apply to

a wide swath of the population because the study participants were

largely affluent, highly educated white women.

>

> Next Article in Health (10 of 14) >

> Click here to download a copy of Today's New York Times

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for sharing. Makes no difference to me which gender. Just

wished I would of been screened sooner. Ingrid

> Blankhttp://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/23/health/23test.html

>

> Testing: Choosing a Costly Wait for Cancer Screening

> By NICHOLAS BAKALAR

> Published: August 23, 2005

> Some women so strongly prefer a female colonoscopist that they are

willing to delay the procedure for a month or pay up to $200 extra to

have a woman perform it.

>

> A survey of 202 women waiting for primary care appointments found

the preference so marked that the authors concluded that it might

prevent women from getting timely screening for colorectal cancer.

The report appears this month in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

>

> Almost half the women preferred a woman endoscopist, while 1.4

percent preferred a man. Eighty-seven percent of those who preferred

a woman were willing to wait up to 30 days for an appointment, and 14

percent were willing to pay up to $200 more to assure their choice.

Women who had already had a colonoscopy were 61 percent less likely

to have a preference.

>

> Three-quarters of those who wanted a woman cited embarrassment as

the primary reason. Half said that a woman would have more empathy,

and 36 percent said they were better listeners. Twenty percent said

they thought a woman would be more competent.

>

> The study found that for 5 percent of women having a male perform

the procedure was an absolute barrier to having it.

>

> " Based on the statistics on colon cancer, " said Dr. M.

Inadomi, an associate professor of medicine at the University of

Michigan and a co-author of the study, " this means that more than

1,000 cases of death from colon cancer in the United States may be

directly related to gender preference for the screening procedure. "

>

> The authors concede, however, that their findings may not apply to

a wide swath of the population because the study participants were

largely affluent, highly educated white women.

>

> Next Article in Health (10 of 14) >

> Click here to download a copy of Today's New York Times

>

>

>