Gender Bias in Medicine: What is it and How Can We Combat it?

Taaran Kaur, 8/20/24

   If you ask someone what the symptoms of a heart attack are, they will most likely mention chest pain, shortness of breath, or lightheadedness. These are all very common symptoms–for men. What hasn’t been taught is the fact that women can experience significantly different symptoms such as back pain, fatigue, and dizziness. Why is it that the male model has been taught as the default? According to Dr. Daniel Edmundowicz, a cardiologist from Temple University, men and women have the same likelihood of suffering from a heart attack [1]. In fact, women are more likely to die from one due to a lack of recognition of the symptoms, research shows [1]. This is just one example of gender bias in medicine–a field where we can’t afford to make such mistakes. Gender bias is startlingly prevalent in the medical field and significantly impacts health professionals' ability to care for patients. In order to successfully treat people of all genders, health systems need to recognize its existence and take action to prevent it.

An article Published in the Pain Research and Management journal describes the work of Swedish researchers who analyzed medical literature for gender bias specifically relating to treatment for chronic pain. They found that the articles revealed gender norms about men and women’s perception, tolerance, and expression of pain. Specifically, the researchers concluded that these “gendered norms are consolidated by hegemonic masculinity and andronormativity,” meaning that they are based on the beliefs that the male standard is the ‘default’ and deserves to be focused on more than the female standard. An example of this that the researchers give is the stereotype of the hysterical woman, where female patients are perceived as “emotional,” or “fabricating the pain, as if it is all in her head.” Furthermore, the reviewed papers showed that “medically unexplained conditions”-conditions that mostly affect women, where pain appears to be the only symptom–are linked with “an unwillingness among professionals to believe in the women’s pain.” [4]

This is a pressing issue. If healthcare professionals are susceptible to gender bias when it comes to pain management, they will be more skeptical of a woman’s experiences and therefore cannot give her adequate treatment. In many cases, women feel like they are not being heard by their healthcare providers and that they have to prove something before they are able to get treatment [4]. Too often women are dismissed as hysterical when they have a serious health issue that the doctors ignore. In fact, according to Duke Health, “One in five women say they have felt that a health care provider has ignored or dismissed their symptoms” [3]. Gender bias can be the reason why a patient lives with pain that could be easily treated. In extreme cases, it could cost a patient their life.

So what can we do about this? An article published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases offers many strategies at the organizational level, the individual level, and both. Firstly, the authors stress the need for a “commitment to a culture of inclusion,” which involves employing a diverse staff and leadership team in order to have more opinions and ideas represented. It also involves using regular inclusion surveys and “meaningful” training on diversity. At a personal level, the authors encourage professionals to “be aware, be systemic, and be open.” In essence, one should acknowledge their bias, use concrete systems to eliminate subjective biases and remain open-minded. Similar concepts apply when trying to undo the effects of unconscious bias–one should own up to their mistakes, recognize the patient's experiences, and learn for the future. On the whole, it's important to have a diverse team and to stay open-minded because no one is immune to unconscious bias. The key lies in recognizing it and preventing it from impacting how healthcare professionals care for their patients. [2] 

In summary, gender bias in healthcare settings can have a disastrous impact on patient care by preventing patients from receiving the care that they need. Studies have shown that gender bias is in fact present in today’s healthcare systems and does significantly impact patient-provider relationships as well as patients' access to care. Female patients often feel like they are not being taken seriously and they are being dismissed, and because of this they often suffer from health issues that can be treated. However, with the right training and an open mindset, gender bias can be eliminated from healthcare systems, so professionals can successfully provide each patient with the care that they deserve.

References

Temple Health, “Heart Attack Symptoms: Are They Different for Men and Women?”

www.templehealth.org/about/blog/heart-attack-symptoms-men-women-differences#:~:text=Heart%20attacks%20do%20not%20discriminate 

The Journal of Infectious Diseases, "The Impact of Unconscious Bias in Healthcare: How to Recognize and Mitigate

It"

https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiz214

Duke Health, “Recognizing, Addressing Unintended Gender Bias in Patient Care."

physicians.dukehealth.org/articles/recognizing-addressing-unintended-gender-bias-patient-care

Samulowitz, Anke, Gremyr, Ida, Eriksson, Erik, Hensing, Gunnel, "'Brave Men' and 'Emotional Women': A Theory-Guided Literature Review on Gender Bias in Health Care and Gendered Norms towards Patients with Chronic Pain, Pain Research and Management" 

https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/6358624