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News ArticleWomen suffering from chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) are facing mental health crises after being “dismissed and gaslighted” by health professionals for years, according to a leading specialist. Daily debilitating pain has left patients feeling suicidal, with those in recovery describing lingering mental health problems “akin to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)”, said Dr Rajvinder Khasriya, an NHS consultant urogynaecologist at the Whittington Hospital in London. Patients have said they feel crippling anxiety over planning ahead to ensure there is always a toilet around, even after their condition has been controlled with treatment. Vicky Matthews, who searched for a diagnosis for three years after a recurrent UTI became chronic, said the condition caused a “gradual decline” in her mental health as medical professionals were unable to pinpoint what was causing her pain. "I questioned my pain. I questioned what was going on. I questioned whether it was actually real and that was a pretty awful thing to be dealing with on top of having physical pain,” the 43-year-old said, describing what she felt was “mental torture”. Read full story Source: I News, 12 February Further reading on the hub The clinical implications of bacterial pathogenesis and mucosal immunity in chronic urinary track infection
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Content ArticleThe Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has launched a consultation to seek views on the draft Green-top Guideline on Outpatient Hysteroscopy document. This consultation is open to both professionals and patients. You can return your comments using this online form by midnight Monday 13 March 2023. Please also see the guidance for reviewers page on the RCOG website.
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Content ArticleLast year we published a blog from Dr Chelcie Jewitt on the Surviving in Scrubs campaign. The campaign was created by Dr Becky Cox and Dr Chelcie Jewitt to give a voice to women in healthcare to raise awareness and end sexism, sexual harassment and sexual assault in healthcare. On their Surviving in Scrubs website they share the awful stories from women working in healthcare of sexism, sexual harassment and sexual assault.
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Content Article
A bitter pill: Primodos (Sky News, 3 January 2023)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Medication
This Sky News investigation looks at one of the pharmaceutical industry's biggest scandals—the hormone pregnancy test Primodos which was prescribed to pregnant mothers in the UK between 1958 and 1978. Primodos was found to lead to birth defects, miscarriages and stillbirth, and regulatory failings led to avoidable harm to thousands of babies. -
Content ArticleHysteroscopy is a common and valuable intervention to diagnose and treat gynaecological conditions arising in the uterus. Many women have an acceptable experience of outpatient hysteroscopy, with pain levels tolerable to them and rapid recovery. However, it is important to recognise that hysteroscopy can cause severe pain and be traumatic for women. This is difficult to predict. Therefore, units need to share with women clear, accurate and relevant, written and verbal information. This Good Practice Paper from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has been written for healthcare professionals who are involved in providing outpatient hysteroscopy with the aim of achieving optimal outcomes for women.
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Content ArticleThis blog by Carl Heneghan, Professor of Evidence-based Medicine at the University of Oxford and Clinical Epidemiologist Tom Jefferson, looks at safety and regulatory issues associated with Essure, a permanent contraceptive implant. Essure anchors inside the fallopian tubes and reacts with the tissues, causing them to become inflamed and scarred. The resulting scar tissue then blocks the tubes off, intending to prevent fertilisation. The devices are about 4cm long and contain a stainless steel, nickel and titanium inner coil and an expanding outer coil containing iron, chromium and tin. Essure has been shown to cause allergic reactions, lifelong inflammatory reactions and internal injuries. The authors examine how Essure came to be approved for use in the USA, the UK and the rest of Europe, highlighting regulatory failings and conflicts of interest with the medical tech industry. They also highlight how pressure from women harmed by Essure resulted in its use being banned in several countries. The blog then describes ongoing efforts to access UK data on reports of adverse events due to Essure that are held by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulations Agency (MHRA). Freedom of Information requests for this data have been denied.
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Content Article“Medical gaslighting” is a controversial term that has emerged to describe a phenomenon some people – women in particular – may recognise. It refers to a patient’s feeling that their symptoms are not taken seriously, or are being misdiagnosed by healthcare professionals. When she was 37, Eleanor presented at a hospital emergency department with severe chest pain. She was diagnosed with slightly high cholesterol and sent home. Three days later, she suffered excruciating pain and was taken to hospital in an ambulance. There, she was asked if she had suffered from panic attacks and was left overnight in a cubicle, before doctors realised she was having a heart attack. She needed eight cardiac stents. “I am sure no man would be asked if they suffer from panic attacks while they’re having a heart attack,” she says. This article in the Irish Times asks why women are more likely to feel their symptoms are not being taken seriously by doctors. Further reading on the hub: ‘Women are being dismissed, disbelieved and shut out’ Gender bias: A threat to women’s health Dangerous exclusions: The risk to patient safety of sex and gender bias
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News Article
Jamaica’s women let down by failure of cervical cancer vaccine drive
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Plans to prevent one of the deadliest cancers for women in Jamaica have been significantly set back by the Covid pandemic, new figures reveal. The scheme to vaccinate schoolgirls against cervical cancer in Jamaica – which is the cancer with the second highest death rate in the Americas – began in 2018, but the Pan American Health Organization says inoculation rates fell to just 2.71% in 2021. This represents a drastic drop from the 2019 rate of 32%, and far from the WHO target of 90% by 2030. The cancer, which is curable if caught early, kills 22 in every 100,000 women in Jamaica. By comparison, in the UK the rate is 2.4 in every 100,000, and in Canada it is 2. Prevention of cervical cancer in Jamaica is also hindered by low rates of cervical screenings. “Women are afraid of the screening process and potential pain, but there is also a fear of a cancer diagnosis itself,” said Nicola Skyers of Jamaica’s Ministry of Health. “Some people just prefer not to know. But I also think that healthcare providers don’t offer screenings often enough. If a healthcare provider is really ‘selling’ the pap smear, more often than not the woman will choose to have it.” Health workers are forced to focus on cures rather than preventions amid staffing shortages and an overburdened healthcare system, said Skyers. “As a doctor, you won’t be encouraging every women you see to do a pap smear if you have 40 patients waiting outside.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 2 February 2023 -
News ArticleMesh campaigners claim Scotland's Health Secretary Humza Yousaf refused to meet them to hear their concerns. Patients blame surgical mesh products for leaving them disabled and in chronic pain and want the Scottish Government to hold an independent review into the use of the products. However, followihttps://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/mesh-campaigners-claim-humza-yousaf-29075491ng a debate in the Scottish Parliament earlier this month, the Health Secretary denied their request. Campaigner Roseanna Clarkin, of the Scottish Global Mesh Alliance, said Yousaf has refused several requests for meetings with campaigners spanning nearly two years. Roseanna, who has been left with crippling pain after mesh was used on her umbilical hernia in 2015, has blasted him for “ignoring” those affected by mesh procedures. From the late 90s until 2018, women in Scotland were treated with polypropylene mesh implants for stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. In some, it caused severe pain and life-changing side effects. While the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review called for a pause in use of vaginal mesh, the products are not banned for all procedures. The Scottish Global Mesh Alliance were behind the petition calling for an independent review which was debated at Holyrood. They want to suspend the use of all surgical mesh and fixation devices while a review is carried out. Roseanna said: “Why do they assume mesh in another part of the body would respond differently and not cause extreme pain and serious infections?” Read full story Source: Daily Record, 29 January 2023
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News ArticleMinisters are considering putting a cancer warning on all breast implants a decade after women had ‘a cocktail of chemicals intended for mattresses’ put into their bodies. Experts and MPs are calling for tighter regulation and better support after the PIP faulty breast implant scandal left women – including breast cancer survivors – ‘suffering and dying in silence’. Health minister Maria Caulfield pledged on Monday to consider a so-called ‘black-box’ warning on breast implant packaging like in the US. It came during a debate on the faulty breast implant scandal which saw 47,000 British women given ‘ticking time bomb’ implants made by Poly Implant Prothese (PIP). PIP implants were outlawed in 2010 when they were revealed to be made with substandard silicone and up to six times more likely to rupture. Victims of the scandal have reported a wide range of serious side-effects as experts say they are linked to a raft of health problems including the new form of cancer. Anyone with a PIP implant can officially apply to have it removed by the NHS, but Labour MP Fleur Anderson said: ‘Many applications have been turned down, leaving women with a ticking time bomb in their body. ‘They are unable to afford to get their implants removed privately, are worried that they will rupture further, and are experiencing clear side-effects.’ The MHRA acknowledged the risk of cancer for all breast implants but said PIP implants are not at greater risk than any other. Read full story Source Mail Online, 31 January 2023
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Content Article
In this blog, Patient Safety Learning’s Chief Executive, Helen Hughes, reflects on a recent discussion about hysteroscopy and patient safety at a conference in January 2023, hosted by the Association of Anaesthetists. -
Content Article
This is a brief summary of a Westminster Hall debate in the House of Commons on the 31 January 2023 on NHS hysteroscopy treatment, tabled by Lyn Brown MP. -
News Article“I was worried it would grow and spread,” Charlotte Park, a breast cancer patient tells The Independent. “What happens if I hadn’t been that really pushy person? Sometimes I still go into a dark place and I think: I am so lucky to be here.” The 50-year-old, from Richmond in Yorkshire, found a lump in her breast in June 2020 and went straight to see her GP who informed her she would have to wait two weeks to see a specialist. After a fortnight of waiting, she started to panic and rang the clinic who said they were still working through referrals from four to six weeks prior to her referral. “I was getting frustrated and impatient by this point,” Ms Park recalls. “There was no leeway and they didn’t see if they could squeeze me in. I just felt frustrated. There was nothing I could do. It was all out of my hands. I was feeling teary.” Ms Park is one of thousands of women with breast cancer in England facing delays of weeks or months to see a specialist or receive treatment. Data, shared exclusively with The Independent, shows delays were substantially worse for those with breast cancer than other forms of cancer. In the end, Ms Park was forced to wait 25 days to see a specialist. The wait was “agony”, she said. It was difficult to definitively determine if the delays caused her cancer to grow, she noted. Her comments come in the context of thousands of women with breast cancer being forced to wait longer than the NHS-recommended time of two months to get treatment, in a situation branded “perilous” by healthcare professionals. Exclusive data shows only seven in ten women in England received treatment for breast cancer two months after getting an urgent doctor’s referral between January and November 2022. This amounts to just more than 16,500 women and is way below the NHS target for 85% of breast cancer patients diagnosed via an urgent GP referral to start their cancer treatment within two months of their GP visit. Read full story Source: The Independent. 31 January 2023
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Content ArticleIn this book, Sandra Igwe shares her journey as a young Black mother, coping with sleepless nights, anxiety and loneliness after the birth of her first daughter. Burdened by cultural expectations of the 'good mother' and the 'strong Black woman' trope, her mental health struggles became an uphill battle. Black women are at higher risk of developing postnatal depression but are the least likely to be identified as depressed. Sharing the voices of other mothers, Sandra examines how culture, racism, stigma and a lack of trust in services prevent women getting the help they need. Breaking open the conversation on motherhood, race, and mental health, she demands that Black women are listened to, believed, and understood.
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Content ArticleThis report was produced by NHS Digital to investigate activity in the NHS in England surrounding patients who have had a procedure for the treatment of urogynaecological prolapse or stress urinary incontinence, including those where mesh, tape or their equivalents have been used. The report uses Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data and was undertaken to help the NHS and others establish a clearer national picture of patients who have had these procedures. NHS Digital notes that these statistics are classified as experimental and should be used with caution. Experimental statistics are new official statistics undergoing evaluation.
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News Article
UK facing crisis point in abortion provision, experts say
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The UK is facing a “crisis point” in abortion provision, experts say, with rising demand and restricted access to care in many areas putting unprecedented pressure on struggling NHS services. Healthcare professionals described a “terrifying” state of affairs in which women are travelling hundreds of miles for appointments or waiting several weeks before they are seen. Dr Jonathan Lord, the director of MSI Reproductive Choices UK, a major provider of abortion services, told the Guardian’s Today in Focus podcast: “There is no doubt we are seeing absolutely unprecedented levels of demand at the moment. All providers are reporting they are busier than they have ever been.” Lord, who is also an NHS consultant gynaecologist, said the rise was being driven by “the economic downturn, the cost of living crisis and the ability to access good quality contraception” via GPs and sexual health services, which have been affected by the wider NHS crisis. Clare Murphy, the chief executive at the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), previously said: “The pandemic, and the policies adopted by the government, have had a clear impact on women’s pregnancy choices.” Faced with “economic uncertainty and job insecurity”, women had been forced to make tough decisions, she said. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 26 January 2023 -
News Article
Women’s healthcare in Britain ‘worse than in China and Saudi Arabia’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Women’s healthcare in the UK is worse than that of China and Saudi Arabia, according to a global tracker. Poor efforts at prevention, diagnosis and treatment of health problems left the UK ranked lower than several countries with a troubling record on women’s rights. The research, which compared a wealth of data, found Britain fared worse than most comparable Western countries, including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, France and Germany. The UK was placed 30th out of 122 countries, in the 2021 Hologic Global Women’s Health Index published on Tuesday. The score – three points lower than when a similar exercise was carried out last year – places it on a par with Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Kosovo and Poland for women’s healthcare provision. Read full story Source: The Telegraph, 24 January 2023 -
News ArticleOffering women annual breast cancer checks could save 1,000 lives a year, the Government’s women’s health tsar has said. Dame Lesley Regan said that the current system of screening women aged 50 to 70 once every three years was “not based on scientific evidence”. The UK’s breast screening programme has the longest gap between screens in the world. In the US, it is every one or two years, and in Europe, it is every two years. Dame Lesley, who is also a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at Imperial College London, claimed that the decision to give women mammograms once every three years had been based on the budgets available in the Eighties, when checks were introduced. However, she said that more recent studies showed annual mammograms could save significant numbers of lives. On Tuesday, she told the launch of the Hologic Global Women’s Health Index in London: “If [someone] has a mammogram which is reported as normal today and she developed, for example, a precancerous lesion next month, she will then be waiting [until her next check], when it may well have become invasive, in the belief that she’s fine. “If you have yearly mammography – and I appreciate that’s an expensive resource – there are very good studies demonstrating how many lives you save.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Telegraph, 25 January 2023
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News ArticleA study of 10,650 females in the UK found those with a combined household income of up to £25,000 per annum are less health literate and are less likely to attend health screenings or vaccination invitations. In fact, 1 in 10 have never had health issues such as blood pressure or cervical cancer checked, compared to just 5% of those in a household earning more than £40,000 per annum. 15% of lower earners said they didn’t take up offers of preventative healthcare because they felt it was not needed. They are also the least able to talk to and understand healthcare professionals (72% compared to 81% of high-income households) and least likely to know where to access health information (79% compared to 89% of high-income households). Although 75% feel informed about what is needed to be healthy, this rises to 88% of those in high-income households. It also emerged 30% of low earners who experience daily pain, such as joint pain, backaches or headaches, have stopped work completely as a result, compared to just 10% of high-income households. Read full story Source: The Independent, 24 January 2023
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Content Article
Hologic launched the Hologic Global Women’s Health Index — a multiyear, comprehensive global survey about women’s health — to help fill a critical gap in what the world knows about the health and wellbeing of the world’s women and girls. Conducted annually, the survey provides the most timely, globally comprehensive data from womens' perspectives on their health and wellbeing. The results from the 2021 Hologic Global Women’s Health Index, conducted with nearly 127,000 women and men in 122 countries and territories, show that leaders need this framework more than ever. Health situations for women and girls worldwide did not get better in 2021. The divide between women in high-income and low-income economies grew even larger than the year before. The findings in this year’s report provide a crucial update on the state of women’s health worldwide in the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, as women around the world lived through an uneven economic recovery and a “hurricane of humanitarian crises.” This year’s report answers key questions about women’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviours regarding healthcare and, most importantly, whether women are getting preventive care and using health services. -
EventuntilHybrid Event: You can participate In-person at Dubai, UAE or virtually from your home or work. If you're interested in presenting your research work, case studies, experience or thesis, you can submit abstracts through an online submission portal. Program Objectives Highlight programs of research with strong relevance to nursing practice. How nurse educators can reinvigorate/revitalize/reignite their profession to strengthen our communities through inclusion, equality, and mental health support. Explore ways in which practice informs clinical nursing research. Describe examples of nursing research findings that have been meaningfully and successfully translated into practice. To provide opportunities to develop knowledge in nursing field Define the issue of providing nursing/case management services across state lines To foster and enhance collaborations and partnerships with educational, research and clinical institutes. 494977355_Nursing2023Brochure (1).pdf
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Content ArticleThis download A4 Easy Read booklet from Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust uses simple language and pictures to talk about smear tests. It explains what a smear test is and has tips to make it better for you. It also has a list of words you might hear. Please note this edition of the Easy Read booklet has not been updated with HPV primary screening, but the information and tips about cervical screening are correct.
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News Article
Smear tests: GP waiting times putting women off cervical screening
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
"I got my cervical screening letter in November and I've been putting it off because I don't want to do it - I don't think any girl really wants it done to them." Elena Coley Perez is 26 and due to have her first cervical screening - or smear test - that examines the opening to your womb from your vagina. NHS records show 4.6 million women - or 30% of those who are eligible - have never been screened for cervical cancer or are not up to date with their tests. Women are sometimes too embarrassed to come forward or put it off because they are anxious, surveys have found. Struggling to book their tests due to GP backlogs will not help the situation, say charities. Elena has told the BBC she was already worried about having a smear test, and the difficulty she experienced in booking one put her off even more. "I got another letter in December so I went to book online because with my local GP you have to go through this long-winded form," she said. "I typed in cervical screening and nothing was coming up, so I ended up waiting 35 minutes on the phone to be told they had no appointments for the rest of the year and to phone back in the new year." Elena then tried again in January and was told there was no availability. "At this point I was like, 'what's the point?' - you're trying to do something that can hopefully prevent you from getting cancer and you get to the doctor's surgery and you just get a 'no' - it's really off-putting," she says. Read full story Source: BBC News, 25 January 2023 Further resources on the hub: For patients: Having a smear test. What is it about? (Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust) Cervical cancer symptoms (Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust) For staff: RCN guidance: Human papillomavirus (HPV), cervical screening and cervical cancer -
Content ArticleIn this interview with the publisher Bloomsbury, freelance health journalist and founder of the Hysterical Women blog Sarah Graham talks about her book, Rebel Bodies: A guide to the gender health gap revolution. She discusses the recurrent themes she came across in her work as a health journalist which inspired her to set up her blog: women's experiences of gaslighting, dismissal and disbelief by the medical system. Sarah talks about how her book aims to bring together all the stories and ideas she has worked on for the last five or so years and highlight how closely they’re linked. The book also celebrates the resilience, determination, sisterhood and solidarity Sarah has witnessed from patient advocates and campaigners across the sphere of women’s health and trans health. Read Sarah's 2020 blog, Gender bias: A threat to women’s health, on the hub.
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Content ArticleThe Health and Social Care Select Committee have published a new report reviewing the progress that the UK Government has made in implementing the recommendations of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, sometimes referred to as the Cumberlege Review. This blog sets out Patient Safety Learning’s reflections on this report.
