Growing number of female physicians changing the face of Canadian medicine.

The growing number of female physicians is changing the way medicine is practised. One recent Canadian study found that "significant differences in practice characteristics and service mix and pattern between men and women." Another change involves differences in the way men and women communicate. One lawyer noted that most medical lawsuits involve a breakdown in communication between doctor and patient, and very few female physicians have been the target of malpractice suits--even in high-risk specialties such as obstetrics and anesthesiology.