Boosting research into women's health

For decades, medical research has omitted women from studies – this inequality is contributing to a lack of attention into women’s health issues. The state government is bridging this gap with the $1.5 million Women’s Health Research Catalyst Grants program helping to advance the understanding of how disease and other health issues effect women. Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas announced the 15 successful recipients who will share in grants, ranging from $15,000 to $150,000 – providing seed funding for Victoria’s best and brightest researchers to look at innovative ways of improving women’s health. This work builds on the federal government’s landmark $153 million women’s health package that is transforming the way care is delivered in Victoria –including women’s health clinics, a mobile women’s health clinic, Aboriginal-led clinic and virtual women’s health clinic. The package has also expanded the sexual and reproductive health hub network to 20 locations, including 12 in regional locations one being at Gateway Health in Wangaratta, as well as increased access to laparoscopies for endometriosis and associated conditions, and providing scholarships for more than 150 women's specialists. Women’s Health Goulburn North East coordinator of policy, advocacy and communications, Katherine Keirs, said government funding for research that specifically addresses women’s health is crucial to improving health outcomes for women across Victoria, and in the local region. "Barriers to accessing affordable, timely, quality healthcare for women and girls in our local community, and rural/regional communities across Victoria, can impact factors like help seeking behaviours, health outcomes and quality of life," she said. "In our conversations with women, we’ve heard about the stress, pain and uncertainty caused by the inability to find a primary healthcare professional taking new patients with expertise in sexual and reproductive health locally, and the financial and logistical burden of having to travel to Melbourne to see specialists. "For some women and girls, the time constraints and cost of seeking specialist care outside of their local area results in delayed treatment and extended symptoms. "Feelings of being dismissed or ignored are still common when women discuss health concerns even in medical settings, with many expressing a desire for a greater focus on patient-centred care and upskilling the health workforce around women’s health. “Increasing funding and support for the healthcare sector to better meet the needs of women in our community is an important step to improving health outcomes and reducing the barriers to quality care informed by up to date research and best practice." Historically, medical research has focused on men’s bodies as the default subject – leaving gaps in knowledge about how women experience illness and disease, and what treatments might need to be tailored to women’s bodies. Ms Keirs said funding medical research that specifically aims to address this gap will generate a greater understanding of women’s specific health needs in the medical community, which will inform how practitioners approach care for their female patients. “Including a biological sex and gender lens over the whole healthcare system – from medical research to university curriculums, training resources and service delivery, will ensure that women’s health is better understood and prioritised as a fundamental component of human health,” she said. “Funding research can help bridge the gap in health inequality by increasing understanding within the medical sector, and broader community of the various factors that impact different people’s experiences of illness and disease. “Evidence-based medical practice relies on existing research and the protocols it informs, to guide patient care. “If the evidence-base disproportionately focuses on one particular cohort over another, there will inevitably be gaps in quality and appropriateness of care, resulting in health inequality. “It is not only crucial to fund health research, but that funders apply an intersectional gender lens when choosing which initiatives to resource and support.”

Boosting research into women's health

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