There has been considerable progress in the field of women’s health in recent years, with strong steps taken to address historical under-recognition and widespread gender bias in medicine.
But while this progress is welcome – and long overdue – according to VHI Group Healthcare Officer Dr Linda Keaveney, we may need to “redefine” what women’s health really means, so that women can get the holistic, life stage-based approach to care they so desperately need.
Keaveney, who will be speaking at the Future Health Summit on developments in women’s health, says that when people use the phrase “women’s health,” they often don’t understand what it really means.
“A lot of times when women’s health is discussed or mentioned, people think about the reproductive system, contraception, pregnancy and menopause and things like that.” The former GP is trying to explain that women’s health is much broader than that, and thus new forms of care are needed to match women’s specific needs.
There is still much room for improvement in this area – for example, women have been historically underrepresented in clinical trials. “Much of what we understand about medications and disease patterns is based on a population of 70-kilogram white men,” says Keaveney. “So although there has been a definite change, there is still a lot to do.”
She uses the example of heart disease, which she says is traditionally seen as a men’s health issue. “But in fact heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in Europe.”
It’s important to change these attitudes, says Keaveney; Diseases present differently in women, and treatments do not necessarily work the same way. “We need to work across the spectrum on this, in the same way we train our health care workers to understand differences between the sexes and the impact of gender on health in general. We need to address this from a research perspective as well.”
Still, Keaveney says there are tremendous opportunities here. “At the micro level when we see a patient in front of us, but at the macro level when we plan services, we need to take this into account,” she says. “From a VHI perspective, as an insurer and care provider, as we develop our own services that we provide, we need to look at how much we fund and try to play our part in making sure that women’s health is looked at in that holistic sense.”
Women’s health is a strategic priority for VHI and Keaveney says they have begun to shape their services based on what is needed from a clinical perspective, as well as raising general awareness of women’s health as a broader issue. She says that 52 percent of its members are women. “About 27 percent of them are over 60 years old and this is expected to increase significantly.”
The insurer runs a women’s health clinic that provides care throughout a woman’s lifespan, it also offers a midwifery support service, and last year the insurer developed a pathway into the BlackRock Health women’s health clinic. VHI holds regular education and training events on “hot topics” in women’s health to educate health care professionals working within their teams and in the community.
VHI has also focused on women’s health in the workplace, recognizing the impact it can have on shaping health outcomes in the workplace. “It is important to understand the specific challenges related to women’s health in the workplace setting and try to support these; this is helping not only our members but also employers to understand what they can do to better support women in the workplace.”
As healthcare systems face increasing demand, aging populations and increasing financial pressures, Keaveney believes financial and sustainability is imperative for investing in women’s health. “We know women live longer, but they also live with a greater burden of chronic disease,” she says. “If we redesign services with women in mind at every stage of life, we improve outcomes and build a more sustainable health system. To do this, all aspects of the health care ecosystem need to continue working toward this goal. Awareness is growing and much progress has been made, but there is opportunity to do more.”
