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According to a new study, women are on average less well treated for pain than men. These analyses raise a real social problem.
Previous studies have shown that women’s pain is judged to be less intense than men’s. Now, a team of researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel wanted to study this stereotype in the medical community. To do this, they collected data from 21,851 patients who presented to the hospital with pain. After anonymizing them, they analyzed the reactions of medical staff and revealed incredible differences!
Women less likely to receive painkillers
Comparing healthcare workers’ responses to the same complaints, the study found that female patients received fewer painkillers than male patients, on average. The researchers argue that they receive less pain treatment than they should, even after taking into account reported levels, age, medical history and the reason for their complaint.
In general, they would also be less likely to obtain a prescription for any type of medication and would wait on average 30 minutes longer in emergency rooms to receive their treatment, compared to male patients. A sad observation observed, both among male and female doctors!
Patients’ pain deemed “less intense” by health professionals
Furthermore, this glaring gender disparity persists, even when considering their level of pain. Indeed, when patients are asked to use clinical vignettes to assess their pain, nurses estimate on average that the pain of female patients is less intense than that of male patients. It is even 10% less likely to be recorded by health care personnel compared to male patients.
Moreover, other more general studies have shown that women who report pain tend to be perceived as hysterical, “too emotional” or even as liars. An alarming way of thinking if we apply it to the medical field!
Stereotypes that impact women’s health
The lack of consideration for women’s pain can have a real impact on their health. The researchers of the study warn: “Inadequate pain management results in unnecessary suffering and adverse health effects” with women more reluctant to seek treatment for fear of not being believed or not being treated properly. The results of this study therefore highlight the alarming need to end bias in health care settings, in order to ensure fair and effective treatment for all.
To limit these discriminatory attitudes, researchers suggest the use of computerized tools in the medical field to make decisions when prescribing painkillers. In addition, further educating health professionals about gender bias could help address this problem and thus ensure better health outcomes for all patients.
Slide: These diseases that affect men and women differently