Gender Bias in Medical Textbooks: Examples from Coronary Heart Disease, Depression, Alcohol Abuse and Pharmacology

Published By :Med Educ
Published Date : October, 01 , 2008
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Downloads : 41

This study aimed to review the availability and accessibility of gender-specific knowledge in current medical textbooks used in Dutch medical schools. Medicine has been criticised as being gender-biased by assuming male and female bodies to be generally the same. The authors wondered whether current nationally and internationally accepted medical textbooks reflect the state of the art on gender-specific knowledge. It was concluded that current medical textbooks are still gender-biased. They lack somatic and psychosocial information relevant to good medical practice. As a consequence, future doctors will be unaware of relevant differences between men and women in the presentation, diagnosis and treatment of illnesses.

Keywords :medical textbooks, education, medical standards, internal medicine, psychiatry, prejudice,

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