Over time, women have shared stories of feeling dismissed and ignored by health care professionals. Now the results of a national survey hint at just how serious the problem is.
It was a Saturday morning and Debra Clare was putting clothes into her washing machine when suddenly a pain came across her chest so intensely that she had to sit on her verandah, sweaty and nauseous, just so she could focus on breathing.Her partner could tell as well, and soon they were travelling to the closest hospital in Tamworth — more than an hour away from home.
"You're clearly having troubles in your relationship … it's just stress and anxiety," the doctor said, according to Debra.Across Australia, many women, just like Debra, have done the right thing and turned to health care when they're living with pain. But for years, many have described being ignored, dismissed, or misdiagnosed.
That was just the beginning. "I started investigating what was going on … and there were some weeks when I was at the doctors three or four times," she says. Sarah wanted to trust her doctor so didn't push against his advice. But her health continued to deteriorate, and soon she was struggling to get out of bed.Eventually, she pushed to be referred to a specialist who later confirmed her symptoms were not a sign of flare-ups from fibromyalgia."I broke down sobbing because I just felt understood and listened to. It was finally a positive experience with a male doctor," she says. "I'm so grateful for him.
In Debra's case, she was referred to a heart specialist who scanned her heart, more than a year after her initial episode. In 2022 Assistant Minister for Health Ged Kearney announced the National Women's Health Advisory Council, which was established in an effort to address medical misogyny.survey, which was designed to find out more about the experiences of barriers and bias in Australia's health system for all women.
"The results will help inform policy development and improve health outcomes for women and girls, who we know face unique health challenges that lead to poorer outcomes, including delayed diagnosis, over-medicating, and dismissal of pain or other symptoms.", after a survey found two in five Victorian women live with chronic pain, and often feel dismissed by health practitioners.
Following the release of the #EndGenderBias survey in March, Ged Kearney noted the results were not surprising. "It's time we acted on this," she said.When it comes to tackling this issue, Liana says those in power need to remember to broaden their scope.
Women's Health Women Medicine Health Care Public Health Endometriosis Heart Disease PCOS Heart Health
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