Physicians' political beliefs may impact treatment decisions — 6 takeaways

A New Haven, Conn.-based Yale School of Medicine study found a physician's political beliefs may affect his or her treatment decisions on various politicized health issues, according to Yale News.

In the study, researchers gathered political party affiliations of 20,000 primary care physicians in 29 states through a public voter registration records database. Then, the researchers surveyed the physicians and asked them a series of questions about health issues including marijuana use, firearms storage and abortion.

Here are six takeaways:

1. Republican physicians voiced more concern about marijuana use and abortion, compared to their Democratic counterparts.

2. Comparatively, Democratic physicians were more concerned with firearms.

3. Physicians of both parties had similar rates of concern on non-political issues, such as obesity, alcohol abuse and depression.

4. Democratic physicians reported being more likely to advise patients against storing firearms in the home.

5. On the other hand, Republican physicians were more likely to speak to patients about the mental health risks associated with abortion and encourage patients to limit marijuana use. They were also more likely to talk about the legal risks linked to marijuana use.

6. The researchers noted, "Given the politicization of certain health issues affecting countless patients, it is imperative that physicians consider how their political views may affect their professional judgments. The evidence calls for heightened awareness among physicians and more training concerning our biases in how we address politically salient health issues."

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