{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]],"date-time":"2026-09-24T18:08:36Z","timestamp":1790273316495,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]],"date-time":"2026-09-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790208000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Physician sex can influence communication, comfort, and care-seeking. Evidence from conservative contexts suggests preferences are strongest in intimate examinations and vary by specialty. Local data from Syria are limited.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We conducted a multicenter cross-sectional survey in major Syrian public teaching hospitals. Adults attending participating hospitals, including patients and accompanying companions, completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire adapted from prior work and reviewed for clarity in Arabic, capturing preference for physician sex (male, female, no preference) across (i) attitudinal domains, (ii) common clinical interactions (e.g., history taking, general and intimate examinations, emergencies, procedures), and (iii) medical specialties. Demographics included age, participant sex, marital status, education, religion, religiosity, and income. Associations were assessed using chi-square tests and multinomial logistic regression with \u201cno preference\u201d as the reference category.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Across attitudinal domains and routine interactions, many participants reported no preference. In sensitive contexts, particularly intimate examinations, sex-concordant care was frequently preferred. Female participants tended to prefer female physicians for intimate and reproductive health encounters, whereas male participants more often preferred male physicians for general and intimate examinations. By specialty, preference for male physicians was more common in surgery-related fields (e.g., general surgery, orthopedics, urology), while preference for female physicians predominated in obstetrics\/gynecology and select relational specialties (e.g., psychiatry, dermatology). In emergency or life-threatening scenarios, neutrality was common. Exploratory adjusted analyses identified several demographic associations, with participant sex showing the most consistent pattern across multiple contexts.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Preferences for physician sex among adults attending Syrian public teaching hospitals were context-dependent, peaking in intimate examinations and varying by specialty. Ensuring feasible options for sex-concordant care in selected services, alongside communication training for all clinicians, may improve comfort and engagement among hospital attendees. Future research should evaluate how these preferences affect care utilization and outcomes, and explore clinician factors (e.g., seniority, communication style) that may mitigate or amplify preference effects.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0359066","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]],"date-time":"2026-09-24T17:31:12Z","timestamp":1790271072000},"page":"e0359066","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Preferences for physician sex among adults attending Syrian public teaching hospitals: A multicenter cross-sectional study"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-8243-9385","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Ahmad Bishr","family":"Nasra","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Damascus University","place":["Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic"],"department":["Faculty of Medicine"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Malaka","family":"Abubakir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Aleppo","place":["Aleppo, Syrian Arab Republic"],"department":["Faculty of Medicine"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lana","family":"Sabbagh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Aleppo","place":["Aleppo, Syrian Arab Republic"],"department":["Faculty of Medicine"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zakaria","family":"Huseen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Tartous","place":["Tartous, Syrian Arab Republic"],"department":["Faculty of Medicine"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohammad","family":"Nasra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Damascus University","place":["Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic"],"department":["Faculty of Medicine"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-0779-3377","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Mohammad Wesam","family":"Almohammad Alibrahim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Hama","place":["Hama, Syrian Arab Republic"],"department":["Faculty of Human Medicine"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Basel","family":"Zeitoun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Latakia University","place":["Latakia, Syrian Arab Republic"],"department":["Faculty of Medicine"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria","family":"Kheder","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Damascus University","place":["Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic"],"department":["Faculty of Medicine"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohamad","family":"Morjan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Aleppo University Hospital, University of Aleppo","place":["Aleppo, Syrian Arab Republic"],"department":["Department of Pediatric Surgery"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]]},"reference":[{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0359066.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"326","DOI":"10.1089\/jwh.2011.2903","article-title":"Patient-centered care: the influence of patient and resident physician gender and gender concordance in primary care","volume":"21","author":"KD Bertakis","year":"2012","journal-title":"J Womens Health (Larchmt)"},{"key":"pone.0359066.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"23743735221103033","DOI":"10.1177\/23743735221103033","article-title":"Improved patient experience and outcomes: Is Patient-Provider Concordance the Key?","volume":"9","author":"SV Otte","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Patient Exp"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0359066.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"756","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.288.6.756","article-title":"Physician gender effects in medical communication: a meta-analytic review","volume":"288","author":"DL Roter","year":"2002","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"issue":"10","key":"pone.0359066.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"416","DOI":"10.1258\/jrsm.2012.120039","article-title":"Shared decision-making: enhancing the clinical relevance","volume":"105","author":"VA Entwistle","year":"2012","journal-title":"J R Soc Med"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0359066.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"271","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1369-7625.2004.00304.x","article-title":"Trust and shared decision-making: an emerging research agenda","volume":"7","author":"V Entwistle","year":"2004","journal-title":"Health Expect"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0359066.ref006","article-title":"Gender Influence on the Patients","author":"FA Alsafar","year":"2022","journal-title":"Choice of Their Treating Obstetrician-Gynecologist in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Cureus"},{"key":"pone.0359066.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3001","DOI":"10.2147\/PPA.S384967","article-title":"Gender Bias in Urology: How Do Patients Really Choose Their Urologist","volume":"16","author":"A Tamalunas","year":"2022","journal-title":"Patient Prefer Adherence"},{"issue":"5","key":"pone.0359066.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1658","DOI":"10.4103\/jfmpc.jfmpc_141_19","article-title":"Muslim female gender preference in delaying the medical care at emergency department in Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia","volume":"8","author":"AE Alqufly","year":"2019","journal-title":"J Family Med Prim Care"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0359066.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"221","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pec.2012.06.034","article-title":"Physician\u2019s gender, communication style, patient preferences and patient satisfaction in gynecology and obstetrics: a systematic review","volume":"89","author":"SM Janssen","year":"2012","journal-title":"Patient Educ Couns"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0359066.ref010","first-page":"29","article-title":"Gender Have Any Influence on Patients","author":"G Alyahya","year":"2019","journal-title":"Choice of their Treating Physicians? J Nat Sci Med"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0359066.ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"16","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pec.2007.03.020","article-title":"Disentangling physician sex and physician communication style: their effects on patient satisfaction in a virtual medical visit","volume":"68","author":"M Schmid Mast","year":"2007","journal-title":"Patient Educ Couns"},{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0359066.ref012","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"611","DOI":"10.1097\/MLR.0b013e318213c03f","article-title":"Patients\u2019 satisfaction with male versus female physicians: a meta-analysis","volume":"49","author":"JA Hall","year":"2011","journal-title":"Med Care"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0359066.ref013","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"49","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pec.2010.02.028","article-title":"The role of expectations in preferences of patients for a female or male general practitioner","volume":"82","author":"A Delgado","year":"2011","journal-title":"Patient Educ Couns"},{"key":"pone.0359066.ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"295","DOI":"10.2147\/PPA.S494766","article-title":"Gender Preferences in Healthcare: A Study of Saudi Patients\u2019 Physician Preferences","volume":"19","author":"KM Alhomayani","year":"2025","journal-title":"Patient Prefer Adherence"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0359066.ref015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"134","DOI":"10.1590\/1516-3180.2021.0171.r1.08062021","article-title":"Patients\u2019 preferences regarding physicians\u2019 gender: a clinical center cross-sectional study","volume":"140","author":"CM Dagostini","year":"2022","journal-title":"Sao Paulo Med J"},{"key":"pone.0359066.ref016","unstructured":"Nolen HA, Moore JX, Rodgers JB, Wang HE, Walter LA. Patient Preference for Physician Gender in the Emergency Department. Yale J Biol Med. 2016 Jun 27;89(2):131\u201342. 27354840"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0359066.ref017","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1192","DOI":"10.1186\/s12909-024-06131-5","article-title":"Exploring gender disparity in medicine: perceptions of female physicians in Lebanon","volume":"24","author":"S Kassouf","year":"2024","journal-title":"BMC Med Educ"}],"container-title":["PLOS One"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0359066","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]],"date-time":"2026-09-24T17:31:22Z","timestamp":1790271082000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0359066"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Alireza","family":"Shoari","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Mayo Clinic Cancer Center","place":["UNITED STATES OF AMERICA"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]]},"references-count":17,"journal-issue":{"issue":"9","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.0359066","relation":{},"ISSN":["1932-6203"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1932-6203","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,24]]}}}