Top picks: Women's health inequity

Summary

Sex and gender-based inequities in health are widely recognised, with much work needed to improve care, treatment and outcomes for women. In this blog, we’ve selected 14 resources to highlight and evidence some of the key patient safety issues and the need for greater investment in this area.

Content

1. Bias and Biology: How the gender gap in heart disease is costing women’s lives

In this briefing the British Heart Foundation highlights the stark inequalities in awareness, diagnosis and treatment of heart attacks that are leading to women needlessly dying every day in the UK.

2. Medicines, research and female hormones: a dangerous knowledge gap

In this blog, Patient Safety Learning takes a look at why women have been historically underrepresented in clinical trials and medical research, and the ongoing implications this has on medication safety for women.

3. Gender bias: A threat to women’s health

Sarah Graham, award winning journalist, founder of Hysterical Women and author of Rebel Bodies, talks about gender bias within healthcare. Sarah draws on research, anecdotal evidence and the Cumberlege report to highlight how widespread mistreatment of women can have a negative impact on their safety as a patient.

4. Uncharted bodies: Why we’re exploring the gender health gap

A series of articles from Refinery29 UK, focusing on the gender health gap. Looking at five distinct areas in reproductive and gynaecological health they highlight how a lack of research and data is directly affecting women’s health.

5. Miss Diagnosed: The health handbook every woman (and man) should read

This handbook published by digital healthcare provider Livi looks at some of the evidence surrounding sex-based health inequalities and how they are affecting women in the UK.

6. RCOG video series: Tackling inequalities and disadvantage during pregnancy and birth

This video series from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) discusses what actions are required to understand and work with vulnerable women and determine the best way to care for women who require complex intersecting services.

7. Empowering patients is key to improving gynaecology experiences

In this opinion piece for the BMJ, Stephanie O’Donohue explains how a collaborative dialogue between clinician and patient can make a huge difference to patient experiences of gynaecology procedures. With a focus on pain, Stephanie draws on her own experiences, both positive and negative, to illustrate the value of shared-decision making.

8. Women and Equalities Committee: Women’s reproductive health conditions

Women’s reproductive health conditions, such as endometriosis, adenomyosis and heavy menstrual bleeding are highly prevalent in the UK. This report looks at the experiences of care women with reproductive conditions get in England. It states that many women find their symptoms dismissed and normalised by those they turn to for help. 

9. Woman of the North: Inequality, health and work

Women in the North of England face unequal challenges and inequalities in their lives and health compared to those in the rest of the country according to a report from Health Equity North. They are more likely to work more hours for less pay and to be in worse health. On top of this, they are more likely to be an unpaid carer, live in poverty and to have fewer qualifications. The inequity between women living in the North of England and those in the rest of the country has grown over the past decade harming women’s quality of life, work, their families and communities.

10. How can reframing women’s health improve outcomes? An interview with Dr Marieke Bigg

In an interview for the hub, sociologist Dr Marieke Bigg discusses how societal ideas about the female body have restricted the healthcare system’s approach to women’s health and describes the impact this has had on health outcomes. She also highlights areas where the health system is reframing its approach by listening to the needs of women and describes how simple changes can make a big difference.

11. Prioritizing women’s inclusion in clinical trials of medical devices

In this JAMA Internal Medicine article, doctors Jessica Holtzman and Rita Redberg argue that for decades, women have been inadequately represented in clinical trials of drugs and devices evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Looking at existing evidence on the issue, they identify barriers and improvements to women's representation in trials. They argue that the FDA needs to take action by declining to review medical devices and drugs if the representation of women does not reflect the intended use population.

12 Medical misogyny - things surgeons have said to women in Sling the Mesh

Time and again members of the mesh community report facing a brick wall of institutional denial when seeking help for their pain and complications. This YouTube video highlights some of the outrageous, unacceptable and inappropriate comments that doctors have said to members of hashtag #slingthemesh support group in a pervasive culture of medical misogyny that should not still exist in modern medicine.

13 “It’s not menopause, you’re too young and don’t have the right symptoms"—the difficulties accessing menopause support and treatment

Exactly 2 years ago, Clare hit rock bottom and took an extended break from work—not for a serious disease or major surgery, but because of something that all women experience but are often unable to access proper care or support for. In this blog for the hub, Clare shares her experience of trying to access menopause support and treatment in the NHS.

14 Women’s heart health - a patient safety priority

Risa Mallory is a retired psychotherapist from Canada. After a serious cardiovascular event in 2018 she became a patient advocate, collaborating with organisations across the globe. In this blog Risa talks about her experience and the patient safety issues she's observed as a woman with a heart condition. "When I think about patient safety, I don’t just think about hospital infections or medication errors. For me, patient safety means something much more personal: whether my heart symptoms are taken seriously, and whether my care reflects the realities of being a woman."

Read more in the women's health section of the hub.

Share your insights

Have you ever felt that your sex, gender or how you identify, has impacted your experience as a patient and led to less safe care?

Or perhaps you are clinician or researcher with a perspective to share on health inequities?

Please leave a comments below (sign up here first for free), or contact us directly at [email protected].