New US-based research suggests women are less likely to die when treated by female doctors.

A study has followed people 65 and older, observing data on those who died within 30 days of seeing a doctor.

8.15 percent of women who died had been treated by female physicians, but that rose to 8.38 percent for women who'd been seen by a man.

For male patients, their doctor's gender made no difference.

US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says the numbers may seem like a tiny gap, but it could save 5,000 lives each year.

"The study suggests that they are less likely to have experienced miscommunication and misunderstanding and bias." 

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