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Showing results for tags 'Health inequalities'.
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Content ArticleToo many women are dying from disadvantage in one of the poorest parts of England, according to ground breaking new research which serves as an urgent wake-up call for levelling up efforts. The report by Agenda Alliance and Changing Lives, Dismantling disadvantage has found that in 2021 a woman in the North East of England was 1.7 times more likely to die early as a result of suicide, addiction, or murder by a partner or family member than in the rest of England and Wales. Today’s new research was conducted to better understand the lives and needs of disadvantaged women in the North East, including Newcastle, coastal areas and Gateshead and Sunderland; some of the poorest regions in the country. Working with women with lived experience at every stage, the study involved 18 in-depth interviews, 47 survey responses; focus groups; data analysis and multiple meetings with affected women, practitioners and policy makers.
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General Medical Council Ethical hub
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in General Medical Council (GMC)
Here you can find a collection of resources exploring how to apply GMC guidance in practice, focusing on areas doctors often ask about, or have said they find challenging. These pages will help you address important ethical issues and incorporate good practice into your work. -
Content ArticleThe Professional Standards Authority (PSA) commissioned this research to help inform a consistent and appropriate approach by the regulators and registers towards the various types of discrimination in health and care. The research was undertaken to help PSA understand better the views of the public and service users on the following key questions: What constitutes discriminatory behaviour in the context of health and care? What impact discriminatory behaviour may have on both public safety and confidence? Through looking at these two areas, the research also drew out views from participants on how health and care professional regulators should respond to different types of discriminatory behaviour.
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Content ArticleEvidence suggests that maternal mortality has been increasing in the US. Comprehensive estimates do not exist. Long-term trends in maternal mortality ratios (MMRs) for all states by racial and ethnic groups were estimated. The objective of this study was to quantify trends in MMRs (maternal deaths per 100 000 live births) by state for five mutually exclusive racial and ethnic groups using a bayesian extension of the generalised linear model network. The study found that while maternal mortality remains unacceptably high among all racial and ethnic groups in the US, American Indian and Alaska Native and Black individuals are at increased risk, particularly in several states where these inequities had not been previously highlighted. Median state MMRs for the American Indian and Alaska Native and Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Other Pacific Islander populations continue to increase, even after the adoption of a pregnancy checkbox on death certificates. Median state MMR for the Black population remains the highest in the US. Comprehensive mortality surveillance for all states via vital registration identifies states and racial and ethnic groups with the greatest potential to improve maternal mortality. Maternal mortality persists as a source of worsening disparities in many US states and prevention efforts during this study period appear to have had a limited impact in addressing this health crisis.
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Content ArticleThis story is part one of a series by AP News, examining the health disparities experienced by Black Americans across a lifetime.
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ARMA Inquiry into MSK health inequalities
Patient_Safety_Learning posted an article in Health inequalities
The prevalence and impact of musculoskeletal conditions are not experienced equally across the population. Musculoskeletal conditions are linked to deprivation, age, are more prevalent in women, and disproportionately affect some minority ethnic groups.Deprivation is a significant driver of inequalities in MSK health. People in deprived areas experience more chronic pain, are more likely to have a long term MSK condition and experience worse clinical outcomes and quality of life.Between February and December 2023 the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) will deliver the first ever national inquiry into MSK health inequalities to explore and highlight the issues and make recommendations for improvement. The aims of the inquirySet out the evidence for inequalities in MSK health related to deprivation and explore the possible underlying reasons.Propose actions which can be taken to address these, both in design and delivery of MSK services, and actions to address wider determinants of health and prevention.Raise the profile of the issues and possible solutions. -
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Welsh Health Equity Solutions Platform
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Health inequalities
Wales has a long history and tradition of upholding universal policies, welfare, sustainability and rights-based approaches to population wellbeing. However, the trends in reducing the health gap are mixed, the rate of improvement is slower than anticipated, and new groups are emerging with disproportionately higher risk of poor health and premature death and disease. The Welsh Health Equity Solutions Platform has been designed as a resource to find data and solutions relating to health equity. It includes an interactive data dashboard, policy and healthy equity frameworks and international case studies. It aims to support and accelerate healthy prosperous lives for all in Wales. -
Content ArticleOn the 18 April 2023 the Women and Equalities Select Committee published a report on Black maternal health. This analysed Government and NHS activities to date in this area and made a number of recommendations for further action needed to end disparities in maternal deaths. This paper sets out the UK Government’s response to the recommendations in this report.
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Content ArticleWhat health condition affects some 200 million people around the world, yet remains woefully misunderstood, underfunded, and barely addressed in medical-school curricula? Endometriosis is a disease that the World Health Organization estimates affects 1 in 10 women and girls globally. And yet the National Institute of Health allocates a whopping 0.038% of its research resources to the disorder. Endometriosis, which involves tissue similar to uterine tissue growing elsewhere in the body, has myriad symptoms, including GI distress, migraines, discomfort during sex and abdominal pain that can range from debilitating to excruciating. Countless women miss days of school and work, lose their jobs, and suffer depression as a result of the illness. Experts say endometriosis could be the underlying cause of 50% of infertility cases. L Despite efforts to raise awareness, it persists as an underground topic, and many doctors are ill equipped to help those afflicted or don’t even believe their patients. “It’s a perfect storm of undervaluing women and women’s health, inequities in health care, menstrual taboo, gender bias, racial bias, and financial barriers to healthcare,” said Shannon Cohn, the director of Below the Belt: The Last Health Taboo, a searing one-hour documentary set to premiere on PBS.
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Content ArticleThis year marks the NHS's 75th anniversary, and is an important moment to look back at where the service has come from, consider where it stands today and to look forward to how it needs to change to meet future needs. This report from the NHS Assembly draws on the feedback of thousands of people who have contributed to a rapid process of engagement with patients, staff and partners. It aims to help the NHS, nationally and locally, plan how to respond to long term opportunities and challenges. It sets out what is most valuable about the NHS, what most needs to change, and what is needed for the NHS to continue fulfilling its fundamental mission in a new context.
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Content ArticleThis improvement plan sets out targeted actions to address the prejudice and discrimination – direct and indirect – that exists through behaviour, policies, practices and cultures against certain groups and individuals across the NHS workforce. It has been co-produced through engagement with staff networks and senior leaders.
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Content ArticleDevices and internet connectivity are essential for effective digital services but so are good design, co-development and trust. The use and beneficial impact of digital technologies and data is much more likely if technology is useable and trusted, while also meeting the needs and expectations of staff and patients. This King's Fund 3-minute read looks at human factors of digital healthcare.
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In 2022, an illustration of a Black foetus in the womb by Nigerian medical illustrator and medical student Chidiebere Ibe, went viral. The image sparked an important conversation around representation in medical imagery and the impact this has on health outcomes for patients who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC). Research showed that only 5% of medical images show dark skin and only 8% of medical illustrators identified as BIPOC. A collaboration between Chidiebere Ibe, Deloitte and Johnson & Johnson, Illustrate Change aims to build the world's largest library of BIPOC medical illustrations for use in medical education and training. So far, the library contains images relevant to the following specialties: Dermatology Eye disease General health Haematology Maternal health Oncology Orthopaedics -
Content ArticleIn December 2022, Public Policy Projects brought together oncology experts and key stakeholders for a roundtable to discuss how effective partnership working in healthcare environments can reduce health inequalities in breast cancer outcomes. The objective of the roundtable was to create a series of actionable insights and recommendations for health providers to create a more resilient health and care system and, ultimately, improve breast cancer outcomes in the UK. This document is a summary of the key outcomes, insights and recommendations that were generated from the roundtable. It is not an exhaustive report of facilitating and enabling partnerships to tackle health inequalities, but rather a particular view from a group of key sector stakeholders.
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Content ArticleDespite their widespread use, the impact of commissioners’ policies for body mass index (BMI) for access to elective surgery is not clear. Policy use varies by locality, and there are concerns that these policies may worsen health inequalities. This study in BMC Medicine aimed to assess the impact of policies for BMI on access to hip replacement surgery in England. The authors used National Joint Registry data for 480,364 patients who had primary hip replacement surgery in England between January 2009 and December 2019. They found that rates of surgery fell after localities introduced policies restricting access to surgery based on BMI, whereas rates rose in localities with no policy. Localities with BMI policies have higher proportions of independently funded surgery and more affluent patients receiving surgery, indicating increasing health inequalities, and policies enforcing extra waiting time before surgery were associated with worsening mean pre-operative symptom scores and rising obesity. The authors recommend that BMI policies involving extra waiting time or mandatory BMI thresholds are no longer used to reduce access to hip replacement surgery.
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Content ArticleRace and ethnicity have been associated with poor pregnancy outcomes in many countries. In the UK, the rates of baby death and stillbirth among Black and Asian mothers are double those for White women. Most studies examine trends for individual countries. This large database study explored how race and ethnicity is linked to pregnancy outcomes in wealthy countries. Key findings Black women consistently had worse outcomes than White women across the globe. Hispanic women were three times more likely to experience baby death compared with White women. South Asian women had an increased risk of early birth and having a baby with an unexpectedly low weight (small for the length of pregnancy) compared with White women. Racial disparities in some outcomes were found in all regions. The researchers call for a global, joined-up approach to tackling disparities. Breaking down barriers to care for ethnic minorities, particularly Black women, could help. More research is needed to understand why outcomes are for worse for ethnic minorities. The researchers recommend routine collection of data on race and ethnicity. The link below takes you to the Plain English summary of the research, you can also view the full research study.
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Content ArticleGetting a GP appointment is often a challenge at the moment, but for many disabled people, access to their GP has long been a problem. The King's Fund explored disabled people’s experiences of involvement in health and care design, their experiences accessing health and care, as well as of involvement in service design. Some participants described the significant difference a GP could make: those who made someone feel listened to and validated, compared with GPs who dismissed concerns or spoke to a person’s personal assistants rather than directly to them.
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Content ArticleThe Women's Health Strategy for England was developed and published in 2022 in response to the growing recognition of the unique health needs and challenges faced by women in England (and the U.K.) and was brought forward to address longstanding gaps in women's healthcare and to promote better health outcomes for women across the country. This Forbes article looks at why women’s health should be included in every government’s agenda. The author speaks to Professor Dame Lesley Regan, Women's Health Ambassador for England about the progress of the strategy and Dr. Ranee Thakar, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists about the need to ensure underrepresented groups are included in the strategy.
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Content ArticleECRI is an independent non-profit that produces an annual list of Top 10 Patient Safety Concerns, and its list for 2023 includes a new emphasis on system safety. In this interview for the Betsy Lehman Center, two leaders at ECRI talk about the list and the current state of patient safety. Shannon Davila, ECRI’s Director of Total Systems Safety and Marcus Schabacker, President and CEO, discuss the need to address gaps in performance with a "total systems approach," the ongoing issue of health inequity and the patient safety risks associated with recent changes in state laws and guidance around obstetrics and maternity.
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Content ArticleThis article summarises the findings of research by Healthwatch into the impact of the cost of living crisis on people's decisions about accessing health and care. The research, which surveyed 2000 adults in England, was conducted four times between October 2022 and March 2023. It suggests that people are increasingly avoiding vital health and care services due to the fear of extra costs. Examples include avoiding: going to a dentist because of the cost of checks ups or treatment booking an NHS appointment because they couldn’t afford the associated costs, such as accessing the Internet or the cost of a phone call buying over the counter medication they normally rely on taking up one or more NHS prescriptions because of the cost. Healthwatch sets out a series of recommendations, including ensuring that the support available to help with healthcare costs is communicated to those that need it.
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In this interview, we speak to sociologist Dr Marieke Bigg about why she decided to write her debut non-fiction This won’t hurt: How medicine fails women. Marieke 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, such as allowing women to carry out their own cervical screening at home, can make a big difference. -
Content ArticleEngland is the only country in the UK to still charge patients for prescriptions, with charges having been abolished in Wales and Scotland in 2007 and 2011, respectively. However, for patients in England, the cost is rising; in March 2023, the government announced an inflationary increase of 3.21%, bringing the prescription charge up to £9.65. And the number of people eligible to pay could increase, following government proposals to raise the upper age exemption for free prescriptions from 60 to 65 years. This article looks at the impact of prescription charges on health inequalities, particularly focusing on the impact of the cost of living crisis. The reporter speaks to pharmacists who regularly see patients making difficult choices about which prescriptions to collect, as well as highlighting research that suggests many patients with long term conditions are forgoing their medications as they cannot afford them.
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Content ArticleThis BMJ article by journalist Andrew Kersley reports on a meeting of 157 medical experts and academics held at the Royal Society of Medicine on poverty and the cost-of-living crisis, which took place in May 2023. One academic at the event warned that the long term effect of ongoing economic inequality on life expectancy was worse than six unmitigated covid pandemics. The three solutions proposed at the meeting that received the most support were: a national strategy to tackle poverty the nationwide delivery of “more affordable, quality, secure social and rental housing” urgently increasing the rate of Universal Credit as well as removing the restrictions related to total benefits and multiple children.
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Health Inequality Data Repository (WHO)
Patient_Safety_Learning posted an article in Health inequalities
Launched in April 2023 by WHO, the Health Inequality Data Repository contains datasets of disaggregated data covering diverse topics and dimensions of inequality, from a variety of publicly available data sources. It aims to make disaggregated data more accessible and navigable to diverse global audiences. -
Content ArticleIn this blog Paul Whiteing, Chief Executive of AvMA, reflects on the recent report by the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee on Black maternal health. Paul questions why these racial health disparities, that have long been reported on, have been allowed to continue over many decades and highlights the need for more challenging conversations as to wider root causes.
