‘Medical gaslighting’ exists – if you’re a woman (The Independent, 10 June 2022)

Summary

According to patient safety campaigners, hundreds of women have been forced to endure “barbaric” pain while undergoing hysteroscopy tests after being denied pain relief options and anaesthetists were not available. HSJ recently reported that campaigners have identified at least 240 women who underwent the procedure without being told they were entitled to a general anaesthetic to manage the pain of the invasive test and we have seen similar stories on the hub community forum on the topic.

Guidance for doctors says pain relief should always be discussed. Instead, these women were found to be underinformed about their own rights and expected to simply endure what can be an incredibly painful process of internal investigation. Just because some women report only minimal or no discomfort, that does not mean this is a painless procedure; for those who do suffer, the experience can be very traumatic.

To say these women did not need and could not be provided with a choice of anaesthetic or other analgesic is a form of medical gaslighting, writes Hannah Fearn in this article for the Independent.