Gender bias in healthcare – what is it and why does it matter? Gender bias is any time a person is treated differently due to their sex or gender. In healthcare, there are situations where patients are assessed, diagnosed, and treated differently because of their gender, even though they have the same complaints and treatment requirements as patients of the opposite sex. It also happens in situations where men, women, lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, and queer patients have unique needs that should be treated differently, yet they are not.
Examples of How Gender Bias in Healthcare Affects Treatment
There are many studies out there that point to gender bias in healthcare. A commonly shared one is in regard to heart disease. In 2018, researchers tracked nearly 582,000 heart attack cases from 1991 to 2010. They found that 13.3% of women and 12.6% of men died from their heart attacks when treated by a male doctor. When treated by a female physician, survival rates improved but women still died slightly more often than men. This is just one example. Below are some additional ways that gender bias in healthcare affects treatment.
Gender Bias and Cardiovascular Disease
As cited in the study above, women die from heart attacks at a higher rate than men. This has been happening since the mid-80s if not longer. Another medical study observes that a woman’s survival rate is the same. Therefore, it is assumed that women die at a higher rate than men due to the quality of care they are receiving.
Gender Bias and Mental Health
In mental health, women experience similar bias. But not in the ways you would think. In fact, although depression rates are similar in men and women, women are more likely to be treated for depression. This is likely because women are more likely to talk about their feelings. As a physician, it’s important to make sure you’re not ignoring women’s physical symptoms. Perhaps they are depressed because there’s something bigger going on. When treating men, try to get them to open up more if you sense depression could be a factor.
Gender Bias and Pain Management
Pain management, in general, is really tricky when it comes to developing a solid treatment plan. However, maybe much like mental health, women are more likely to express their chronic pain than men are. Yet, many women report feeling as if their pain is not taken seriously by doctors.
Gender Bias and Medical Research
Gender bias in healthcare is even impacting patients before treatment. In a large amount of medical research, new studies are mostly tested on male animals. This means that many drugs are never tested for women before they’re used on them for real. The result? Women are 75% more likely to have an adverse reaction to medication than men.
Gender Bias in the LGBTQ Community
Another way that gender bias in healthcare is becoming more and more apparent is in the way providers are treating lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, and queer patients. When we see all of the ways that men and women are treated differently, these additional genders are really not even on the radar yet when it comes to popular medical research. This isn’t to say that there aren’t people out there working feverously to treat these patients. It’s just to say it’s not moving along as quickly as there is a need for it. However, there are many resources out there to help you as a physician learn about the unique needs of LGBTQ patients. One way you can better prepare yourself is to study on your own.
Three Ways to Fix Gender Bias in Healthcare
So, as a locum tenens physician, how can you work on fixing gender bias in healthcare?
- First, it’s important to acknowledge that gender bias in healthcare exists. If we sweep it under the rug as if it’s not there, we will miss big moments when we could make a difference. Be sure to research how to treat men, women, and LGBTQ patients. Each of them has unique needs and their own ways of expressing these needs.
- Secondly, advocate for more research that involves women and LGBTQ people. When research studies have more male participants, they’re not as accurate. Getting more women involved in research and studies could improve the quality of care they receive. There’s a long history that shows lack of diversity in healthcare.
- Third, educate other people. As a locum tenens doctor, you have the opportunity to advocate for gender equity in healthcare in each place that you work. If you help make your peers more aware of how gender bias happens, you can all work together to approach health issues differently when treating your male or female patients.
What are some ways you have seen gender bias in healthcare and how do you advocate for change? Chat with us in the comments below!
