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Showing results for tags 'Womens health'.
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Content ArticleThis article looks at recent efforts to increase awareness of female genital mutilation (FGM) amongst healthcare professionals in the UK. Dr Victoria Kinkaid conducted a UK-wide survey to find out how much medical students knew about FGM. Results from the survey highlighted a gap in medical student education around FGM. Further exploration with the help of focus groups revealed that this knowledge gap also affected other frontline professionals with mandatory reporting duties for FGM, including teachers, midwives and social workers. Working with her MSc supervisor, Dr Heather May Morgan, Victoria launched a four week course entitled 'Female Genital Mutilation (FGM): Health, Law, and Socio-Cultural Sensitivity' in 2022 to try and bridge this gap. This article looks at the impact of the course and how Victoria and Heather's work to increase awareness is expanding.
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News Article
If a female doctor gets treated like this, is there hope for any women?
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The agonising pains came midway through Dr Rageshri Dhairyawan’s third cycle of IVF, ten years ago. “I felt as if a heavy metal shovel was scraping away at the lining of my abdomen,” she recalls. “It was like nothing I’d ever felt before,” she says. Her fear was ovarian torsion — “when the ovaries become so big from all the follicle stimulation that they twist on their stalk, which is excruciating and needs to be repaired surgically because the ovary becomes starved of oxygen.” Her husband rushed her to A&E where she was given morphine, then admitted to a gynaecology ward. As a scan revealed no ovarian torsion, “It was thought the hormones had flared up my endometriosis.” Dhairyawan was in so much pain she couldn’t move, and yet she recalls being treated as though she was an attention-seeker “trying to get strong opioids through dishonest means” and “as a nuisance for pressing my buzzer”. It was as if, she says, “I didn’t have something they thought was very serious so why was I still there? I just remember not wanting to feel like more of a nuisance because I knew what being a nuisance on a ward can look like — I’d been a doctor for ten years.” Dhairyawan’s husband demanded pain relief for her. She left hospital shaken. “It massively changed me,” she says. “The experience of not being listened to as a patient, not being taken seriously — it really shocked me. Because I thought, I’m a senior doctor, I know exactly how the NHS works, I know my medical condition, I now what to ask for. And I still can’t speak up and advocate for myself.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 2 July 2024 -
News Article
Midwives call women in labour ‘Asian princesses’ amid ‘hostile’ environment fears
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The NHS Race and Health Observatory has raised fundamental concerns about racism towards maternity patients after several cases have come to light in recent months, including midwives branding patients as “Asian princesses”. The watchdog’s intervention follows regulators identifying patterns of racist and discriminatory behaviour at the maternity departments of two large hospital trusts and a smaller general hospital in the last six months. The observatory’s CEO Habib Naqvi told HSJ he was “deeply concerned” by the seriousness of the issues raised. He added that “discriminatory behaviours and ways of working… [can] lead to hostile and unsupportive learning environments… impact patient care and safety, and also seriously undermine the NHS’s goal of attracting and retaining its workforce”. Examples given included the term “Asian princess” being used by midwives in reference to brown-skinned women requesting pain relief during labour. The students also described a “disregard” from some midwives towards black and brown-skinned women, particularly where English was not their first language. It was also reported when Asian women verbalised their pain during labour, some midwives responded with “Oh, they are all like this”, while additional derogatory comments were made towards asylum seekers, that “they are playing the system”, the NHSE team’s report said. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 28 June 2024 -
News Article
Young women buying Ozempic to get ‘beach body ready’ end up in A&E
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Young women are ending up in A&E after buying Ozempic online, with the NHS’s top doctor warning that weight-loss injections should not be abused in an attempt to get “beach body ready”. Doctors in emergency care report that “almost every shift” they see “young, beautiful girls” with potentially deadly complications who took the drug despite being a healthy weight. New weight-loss injections including semaglutide, better known by the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, are being used on the NHS for people with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Some patients, however, including those with eating disorders, have lied about their weight to get them privately from online pharmacies or beauty clinics — leading to complications including inflammation of the pancreas. The drugs are sold by companies including Boots, Superdrug and Lloyds at between £150 and £200 a month. Doctors are calling for “urgent regulation and control” of their sale to ensure they are prescribed only to obese patients. Professor Stephen Powis, NHS England’s medical director, said the drugs should not be seen as a “quick fix for people trying to get ‘beach body ready’ ”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 13 June 2024 -
News Article
Women’s health campaigner honoured for improving patient safety
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Families affected by hormone pregnancy tests have been “recognised as having suffered an injustice” a leading campaigner has said as she was given an award in the King’s Birthday Honours. Marie Lyon, chairwoman of the Association For Children Damaged by Hormone Pregnancy Tests, has been campaigning for decades for justice for people affected by hormone pregnancy tests, including Primodos. The 77-year-old has been awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for “advocating for scientific research and improving patient safety for women”. She said she was accepting the award on behalf of members of the association and that the medal is “recognition of what has happened”. The tests were given to more than a million women from 1958 to 1978, but Ms Lyon said many were never told of the risks and were instructed to take the drug – which is 40 times the strength of an oral contraceptive pill – by their GPs as a way of finding out whether or not they were pregnant. Read full story Source: The Independent, 15 June 2024 Read our Patient Safety Spotlight interview with Marie Lyon -
Content ArticleIn this JAMA Internal Medicine article, doctors Jessica Holtzman and Rita Redberg argue that for decades, women have been inadequately represented in clinical trials of drugs and devices evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Looking at existing evidence on the issue, they identify barriers and improvements to women's representation in trials. They argue that the FDA needs to take action by declining to review medical devices and drugs if the representation of women does not reflect the intended use population.
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Content ArticleIn June 2021, high-profile testimonials in the media about pain during intrauterine device (IUD) procedures in the UK prompted significant discussion across platforms including Twitter (subsequently renamed X). Authors of this study published in BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health, examined a sample of Twitter postings (tweets) to gain insight into public perspectives and experiences. They harvested tweets posted or retweeted on 21–22 June 2021 which contained the search terms coil, intrauterine system, IUD or intrauterine. They analysed the dataset thematically and selected illustrative tweets with the authors’ consent for publication. They conclude that these findings attest to the need for strategies to improve the patient experience for those opting for IUD as a clinical priority. Further research should explore IUD users' experiences, expectations and wishes around pain management. Read the full paper via the link below.
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Content ArticleSohier Elneil, surgeon, expert in women’s pain, and founder of the first NHS vaginal mesh removal centre, speaks to the Rebecca Coombes about fighting for better care for her female patients.
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Content ArticleOver 65% of all new drugs undergo expedited drug approval in the USA, and these drugs have been linked to a higher prevalence of adverse drug reactions, raising concerns about safety. It is well documented that women generally report a higher frequency of adverse drug reactions than men, but whether women have more adverse drug reactions than men from drugs approved via expedited pathways is unknown. This brief Lancet article outlines the findings of a systematic review that assessed sex differences in data reporting and highlighted a knowledge gap as to whether women face a higher risk of harm through expedited approval pathways than men.
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News Article
Women with painful condition 'ignored' by doctors
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Young women from West Yorkshire have criticised a "lack of support" available for a painful and debilitating medical condition. The three patients, all in their 20s, said they either struggled to get a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) confirmed despite numerous GP appointments, or were not given effective treatment. PCOS causes painful and irregular periods, and affects up to one in 10 women in the UK. The NHS said it "strongly advised" any woman concerned about their health to contact their GP. Alex Offer, 24, from Leeds, said it took nine years before she was told she had PCOS after doctors "ignored" her concerns from the age of 15. One GP dismissed her symptoms as being caused by stress and anxiety, she said. Laaraib Khan, 24, also from Leeds, reported a similar experience. Although she received her diagnosis at the age of 13 after her mother pushed her GP to take her complaints seriously, in the past 11 years she said she had been given "little support" and was left to manage the syndrome herself. "You have to lean on other women who are going through it rather than going to your GP, who will most likely turn you away," she said. Research by the charity Verity PCOS UK found that 60% of women with the disorder have struggled to get a diagnosis, while 95% said they had encountered problems trying to access NHS support. Read full story Source: BBC News, 3 June 2024 -
News Article
Period trackers 'coercing' women into sharing risky information
Clive Flashman posted a news article in News
Female health monitoring apps are putting women at risk by "coercing" them into disclosing - and then poorly handling - highly sensitive data, according to new research. The study examined the privacy policies and data safety labels of 20 of the most popular of these kind of apps, which are commonly used to help women conceive. It found a host of poor data-management practices, including some apps not having a delete function, even for highly personal information such as menstrual cycles and miscarriages. Its authors say it is the most extensive evaluation its kind completed to date. They say the apps are used by hundreds of millions of people. The BBC has contacted a number of app providers - none have responded to a request for comment. "While female health apps are vital to the management of women’s health worldwide, their benefits are currently being undermined by privacy and safety issues," the lead author of the study, Dr Ruba Abu-Salma, from King's College London, told the BBC. Other key findings from the study include: 35% of apps claimed not to share personal data with third parties but contradicted this in their privacy policies 50% assured users that health data would not be shared with advertisers, but were ambiguous about other data collected 45% of privacy policies denied responsibility for third-party practices, despite claiming to vet them. Female-focused technology has boomed in recent years, with the market expected to exceed $75 billion by 2025. But Lisa Malki, another of the study's authors, said the industry needed to get better at protecting the women whose data it was using. Read full article on the BBC here. -
News Article
HPV vaccine stops 90% of cervical cancer cases
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
Giving teenagers the HPV vaccine is cutting cases of cervical cancer by 90%, figures for England show. Scientists say it works so well that this type of cancer could be eradicated in the near future. The study shows the vaccine is most effective when offered to Year 8 students - those aged 12 to 13. The vaccine also provides protection against genital warts by preventing human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. The study, funded by Cancer Research UK and led by experts at Queen Mary University of London, shows the HPV vaccine combined with cervical screening can dramatically reduce cervical cancer incidence to the point where almost no-one develops it. More cases were prevented in the most deprived socio-economic groups in society - those often hit hardest by the disease. Prof Peter Sasieni, lead author of the work that is published in the British Medical Journal,, external said: "Our research highlights the power of HPV vaccination to benefit people across all social groups. Historically, cervical cancer has had greater health inequalities than almost any other cancer and there was concern that HPV vaccination may not reach those at greatest risk. This study captures the huge success of the school-based vaccination programme in helping to close these gaps and reach people from even the most deprived communities." Read full story Source: BBC News, 16 May 2024 -
Content ArticleWomen with learning disabilities are less likely to access cervical and breast cancer screening when compared to the general population. In this study, the Social Ecological Model (SEM) was used to examine the inequalities faced by women with learning disabilities in accessing cervical and breast cancer screening in England. The study highlighted the following barriers to access for women with learning disabilities:Women with learning disabilities may lack knowledge of cancer symptoms and cancer screening, as well as being scared about the process and getting the results. The attitudes of family and paid carers towards screening may influence women with learning disabilities' decisions as to whether screening is seen as favourable; support and training may ensure unbiased perspectives. Barriers associated with how cancer screening programmes are designed, such as postal invitations which assumes an ability to read. Screening staff need to be aware of the general needs of people with learning disabilities, such as the benefits of easy-to-read documents. Multidisciplinary working is required so reasonable adjustments can be embedded into cancer screening pathways.The authors suggest that multiple methods to reduce the inequalities faced by women with learning disabilities are needed, and that these can be achieved through reasonable adjustments. Embedding reasonable adjustments can support women with learning disabilities in making an informed decision and accessing screening if they choose to. This may result in women with learning disabilities getting a timely cancer diagnosis.
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Event
Understanding the Mesh Scandal
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an event in Community Calendar
In this webinar, the patient campaigner Kath Sansom who will be talking to us about how the mesh scandal came about and the effect it has had on women, along with her amazing campaign work. She will be joined by two mesh injured women, Susan and Sharron, who will share their stories. Sign up for the webinar -
Content ArticleConflicts of interest inherent in industry funding can bias medical research methods, outcomes, reporting and clinical applications. This study, published in Europe PMC, explored the extent of funding provided to American physician researchers studying surgical mesh used to treat uterine prolapse or stress urinary incontinence, and whether that funding was declared by researchers or influenced the ethical integrity of resulting publications in peer reviewed journals.Authors conclude that journal editors' guidelines re declaring conflicts of interest are not being followed. Financial involvement of industry in mesh research is extensive, often undeclared, and may shape the quality of, and conclusions drawn, resulting in overstated benefit and overuse of pelvic mesh in clinical practice.
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Event
REDESIGN: A women’s health hackathon
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an event in Community Calendar
untilREDESIGN is a women’s health hackathon to empower women with better user experience and improve health outcomes. Hosted by the Imperial College Women’s Health Network of Excellence, in collaboration with the Imperial FemTech and Design Engineering Societies, this event promotes interdisciplinary work among students and early career professionals to solve the foremost women’s health challenges. The event will comprise various workshops, talks and networking sessions. Objectives To raise awareness of gender gaps in healthcare and the entirety of women’s health, including but also beyond the traditional focus on sexual and reproductive health. To encourage interdisciplinary collaboration among design, engineering, medical, and business students to innovate solutions to the foremost issues affecting the health of women today. To innovate the format of hackathons by promoting user-centred design in solution development, including more contexts and user experiences in the problem-solving process. Four tracks Cardiometabolic health Brain and mental health Gynaecological health Maternal health Participants The event will host up to 80 students and early career professionals, who will form teams of 4-5 people to come up with solutions to specific women’s health challenges. Judging Panel Dr Shikta Das, RWE Manager, AstraZeneca Dr Karim Sandid, Co-Founder, Chief Medical & Product Officer, Kuma Health Rebecca Leppard, Founder & CEO, Upgrading Women Marketing Sarah Fox, Senior Service Designer, TPXimpact David Robson, Lead Service Designer, TPX Impact Prize Cash prize Free coaching on marketing strategy post-event, provided by Rebecca Leppard One-year free membership to the FemHealth Insights mentoring program In addition, every participant will receive a 50% discount to the FemHealth Insights mentoring program Find out more about the hackathon -
Content ArticleThis BMJ opinion piece highlights that seeing women’s health as synonymous with sexual, reproductive and maternal health means that gaps remain in health provision to meet the wider needs of women. The Government recently outlined its 2024 priorities that build on the 2022 Women’s Health Strategy for England. The authors welcome the focus on specific areas of need, but highlight that the priorities reinforce a traditional view of women’s health and miss an opportunity to encourage policymakers, healthcare providers and the public to take a broader view. They argue that a broader approach would reduce critical gaps in the evidence base and care and treatment relating to diseases and conditions that present only in women, disproportionately in women, and differently in women.
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News Article
Staff shortages force women to travel 125 miles for breast cancer care
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
Hundreds of breast cancer patients have travelled more than 100 miles for diagnosis and treatment after waiting times soared at another health board because of staffing shortages. NHS Grampian, which previously received NHS Tayside patients because of staffing problems in Dundee, is now sending its own cases to Larbert, near Falkirk, because its breast cancer department can no longer cope. About 520 people from the Aberdeen area urgently referred to hospital with breast cancer symptoms have travelled to the Forth Valley Royal Hospital for diagnosis with some going on to receive their treatment miles away from home. It is anticipated that at least another 330 Grampian patients will be sent to Forth Valley while the waiting lists are brought under control in Aberdeen. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 2 May 2024 -
News Article
Almost 600,000 in England awaiting gynaecological treatment, figures show
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The government has been accused of “deprioritising women’s health” as analysis shows that almost 600,000 women in England are waiting for gynaecological treatment, an increase of a third over two years. There are 33,000 women waiting more than a year for such treatment, an increase of 43%, according to Labour analysis of data from the House of Commons library. It found that there is no region in England that meets the government’s target for cervical cancer screening of 80% coverage, with just over two-thirds of women (68.7%) having been screened in the past five and a half years. Also, one in four women (26%) with suspected breast cancer waited more than a fortnight to see a specialist in the year to September 2023. Under two-thirds (66.4%) of eligible women have been screened for breast cancer in the last three years, with just two English regions meeting the 70% coverage target. The NHS target in England is that 92% of patients have a referral-to-treatment time of less than 18 weeks. The figures come after the government pledged to end decades of gender-based health inequalities through a new women’s health strategy for England. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 22 April 2024 -
Content ArticleBreast cancer related lymphoedema (BRCL) is an under-recognised health condition that occurs in 20% of women after receiving breast cancer treatment. BRCL can affect a patient's physical and mental health and is costly to the NHS. In this blog, James Moore, a biomedical engineering researcher at Imperial College, talks about how he has involved patients in designing an innovative solution to this issue.
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News Article
Report suggests people with breast cancer are being ‘systematically left behind’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Many people with breast cancer are being “systematically left behind” due to inaction on inequities and hidden suffering, experts have said. A new global report suggests people with the condition are continuing to face glaring inequalities and significant adversity, much of which remains unacknowledged by wider society and policymakers. The Lancet Breast Cancer Commission highlights a need for better communication between medical staff and patients, and stresses the importance of early detection. It also highlights the need for improved awareness of breast cancer risk factors, with almost one in four cases (23%) of the disease estimated to be preventable. The Lancet Commission’s lead author, Professor Charlotte Coles, department of oncology, University of Cambridge, said: “Recent improvements in breast cancer survival represent a great success of modern medicine. “However, we can’t ignore how many patients are being systematically left behind. “Our commission builds on previous evidence, presents new data and integrates patient voices to shed light on a large unseen burden. “We hope that by highlighting these inequities and hidden costs and suffering in breast cancer, they can be better recognised and addressed by healthcare professionals and policymakers in partnership with patients and the public around the world.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 15 April 2024 -
Content Article
The Lancet Breast Cancer Commission (15 April 2024)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Cancers
Despite tremendous advances in breast cancer research and treatment over the past three decades—leading to a reduction in breast cancer mortality of over 40% in some high-income countries—gross inequities remain, with many groups being systematically left behind, ignored, and even forgotten. The work of the Lancet Breast Cancer Commission highlights crucial groups, such as those living with metastatic breast cancer, and identifies how the hidden costs of breast cancer and associated suffering are considerable, varied, and have far-reaching effects. The Commission offers a forward-looking and optimistic road map for how the health community can course correct to address these urgent challenges in breast cancer. -
Content Article
Endometriosis: A patient's journey (10 April 2024)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Women's health
This Medscape article tells the story of Josephine Vest, who was diagnosed with endometriosis aged 19. Now 30, she describes how her symptoms were dismissed and belittled by GPs and gynaecologists before she received a diagnosis a year after her symptoms began. With an average diagnostic delay approaching nine years across the UK, Josephine counts herself fortunate to have been diagnosed in this time frame. She goes on to describe the obstacles she faced in getting effective treatment and the suspicious attitudes healthcare staff displayed towards her. -
Community Post
Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) implants: Have you been affected?
Patient_Safety_Learning posted a topic in Medical devices (existing)
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In 2010, it emerged that implants manufactured by the French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) had been made with cheap silicone that had not been approved for cosmetic surgery, and had a high splitting rate. The French authorities closed PIP and the company's founder was convicted of aggravated fraud and imprisoned. Patient groups say there has been little support, recognition or information for those affected in the UK, and that thousands of women continue to experience health problems.[1] Have you had a PIP implant? What has your experience been? What could be done now to make sure those affected are supported? Please comment below (sign up here first, for free) or get in touch with the team at content@pslhub.org [1] Woman pays £11,000 to fix ruptured breast implant -
Community Post*Trigger warning. This post includes personal gynaecological experiences of a traumatic nature. What is your experience of having a hysteroscopy? We would like to hear - good or bad so that we can help campaign for safer, harm free care. You can read Patient Safety Learning's blog about improving hysteroscopy safety here. You'll need to be a hub member to comment below, it's quick and easy to do. You can sign up here.
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