You’ve probably heard over the years about the vast number of differences between the two sexes. However, is this really the case when it comes to how male and female patients perceive clinics? Well, the answer is yes and no. While both genders value convenience, communication, and relationships, men and women tend to weight these qualities differently.
In our quest to understand patient perspectives across Australia, we conducted a survey of 1,140 Australian patients in 2017. Using the insights we gleaned from the survey, we’ve identified some key differences between how men and women view medical practices.
Women Rely on Word-of-Mouth More Often
Interestingly enough, word-of-mouth is a much greater factor when selecting a medical practice for females than it is for males. While 36% of women said that word-of-mouth is the most important factor when choosing a clinic, only 28% of men agreed. By contrast, men are more likely to choose a clinic they’ve seen on the street (24%).
Men Value Clinic Location More than Women
When survey participants were asked, “What is the most important consideration when you’re booking a GP appointment?” both genders agreed that being able to book with their primary GP was their main concern. However, this was significantly more important to women than it was to men. While 56% of women said it was their biggest consideration, only 48% of men agreed. Men were more likely to list location as their primary concern (24%), compared to women (13%).
Men Prefer the Convenience of Online Booking
While it’s safe to say that both genders appreciate the convenience of online booking, men value it more. When asked what they perceived to be the greatest benefit of online bookings, 29% of men cited convenience, compared to only 23% of women. While both genders agreed that being able to see their doctor’s calendar was most important, by and large, women felt it was more so — 35% of women agreed with this statement, whereas only 30% of men did.
Key Takeaways
We’ve found that when it comes to how men and women view their medical practices, they’re less different than we may have been led to believe. In the course of our survey, both genders ranked the same items as most important to them.
However, it’s clear from the results that while both men and women feel that relationships and convenience are key to a successful medical practice, women place a greater emphasis on relationships. Men, on the other hand, value convenience more than women.
Clearly, a clinic that wants to grow should consider ways to appeal to both genders. For instance, a medical clinic might use this information to increase appeal among men by creating brochures and website content that promotes convenience — central location, online booking, extended hours, etc.
Whereas, if you wanted to attract more female patients, you might send a weekly or monthly newsletter about clinic events and suggest recipients forward it to anyone who might be interested. Additionally, you may want to consider sending a text or email on patients’ birthdays to build loyalty.
While these marketing strategies are likely to be successful with both genders, they do tend to appeal to men and women differently.
