Mitigating the gender gap: How "DOCTOR" badges affect physician identity

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Emergency Medicine
• Physician Well-being

Background:

• Patients and families frequently misclassify female physicians in the Emergency Department (ED) as non-physicians.
• This misidentification negatively impacts patient satisfaction and physician well-being.
• Implementing clear identification, such as "DOCTOR" badges, may mitigate these issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of "DOCTOR" badges in reducing physician misidentification in the ED.
• To evaluate the impact of "DOCTOR" badges on patient satisfaction and physician well-being.
• To determine if "DOCTOR" badges can be a cost-effective solution to improve the care environment.

Main Methods:

• A study was conducted in a large urban academic medical center.
• "DOCTOR" badges were distributed to 83 Emergency Medicine (EM) residents and 28 EM Attendings.
• Surveys were administered pre- and post-intervention (3 months) to assess badge efficacy, with descriptive, univariable, and multivariable analyses.

Main Results:

• 91% of EM physicians reported misidentification; female physicians were disproportionately misidentified (97% vs. 43% for males).
• Post-intervention, misidentification of female physicians decreased by 15.4% (p=0.03).
• Female physicians reported feeling more valued (73.7% vs. 44.9%) and less frustrated (81.6% vs. 51%) compared to males.

Conclusions:

• Female EM physicians face disproportionate misidentification and feel undervalued.
• "DOCTOR" badges significantly decreased misidentification and improved physician-reported outcomes within 3 months.
• "DOCTOR" badges represent a simple, effective strategy to enhance physician wellness and the ED care environment.