Background: The androcentric history of medicine and medical research has led to an ongoing sex and gender gap in health research and education. Sex and gender gaps in research and education may translate into real-life health inequities for women. This study aimed to explore the experiences of female patients with chronic health conditions in the Australian health system, considering existing sex and gender gaps in medicine.
Methods: This qualitative study used semistructured in-depth interviews with a sample of adult women with chronic conditions in Australia. Thematic analysis was undertaken, guided by Braun and Clarke. Software NVivoX64 assisted in the management of the data. Coding was performed before grouping into subthemes and central themes. To allow for potential researcher biases, the principal researcher engaged in the practice of reflexivity, including the writing of detailed notes during analysis.
Results: Twenty adult Australian women with chronic conditions were interviewed. Diagnoses were varied and included Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, functional neurological disorder, and inflammatory bowel disease. Four central themes emerged: diagnostic difficulties; spectrum of health care experiences; understanding medical complexity; and coping with symptoms.
Conclusions: Women with chronic conditions in Australia report pain, fatigue, and suffering that significantly impacts upon their daily lives. There was a shared experience of feeling that the pain and suffering of women was dismissed or not taken seriously. Many women expressed trauma because of their experiences in health care and often this led to a fear of accessing health services. The participants highlighted a need for more knowledge, understanding, and empathy from health care practitioners.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9811844 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/whr.2022.0052 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and chronic fatigue: the importance of communication and symptom management-a case report.
J Med Case Rep
January 2025
Center for Complementary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine II, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, University of Freiburg, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
Background: Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome may both cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. Irritable bowel syndrome not only is an important differential diagnosis for Crohn's disease but also occurs in one out of three patients with Crohn's disease in remission in parallel. If not adequately diagnosed and treated, additional functional symptoms such as fatigue and/or muscle pain may develop, indicating a more severe course.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAssessment of public literacy in TB prevention and control in the National 13th Five-Year plan for Tuberculosis Prevention and Control (2016-2020) in China.
BMC Health Serv Res
January 2025
School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
Background: China has always been a country with a high burden of tuberculosis. In order to end TB, the Chinese government launched three plans for TB prevention and control. The Chinese government implemented the National 13th Five-Year plan for Tuberculosis Prevention and Control (2016-2020) to promote TB prevention and control from policy, technology, health promotion and other aspects from 2016 to 2020.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRetrospective analysis of the occurrence, potential risk factors and medical significance of pulmonary complications after total shoulder arthroplasty from the National Inpatient Sample database (2010-2019).
Perioper Med (Lond)
January 2025
Department of Anesthesiology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China.
Background: In USA, total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) ranks amongst the top five surgeries that require hospitalization. As a result, the healthcare system in USA could face a considerable financial strain due to the emergence of subsequent pulmonary problems. This study aimed to conduct a thorough examination of the prevalence, influential factors and medical importance of pulmonary complications, with emphasis on pneumonia, respiratory failure and pulmonary embolism (PE) following total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) procedures in USA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn integrated investigation of mitochondrial genes in COPD reveals the causal effect of NDUFS2 by regulating pulmonary macrophages.
Biol Direct
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Geriatrics of Jiangsu Province, Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, Jiangsu, China.
Background: Despite the increasing body of evidence that mitochondrial activities implicate in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), we are still far from a causal-logical and mechanistic understanding of the mitochondrial malfunctions in COPD pathogenesis.
Results: Differential expression genes (DEGs) from six publicly available bulk human lung tissue transcriptomic datasets of COPD patients were intersected with the known mitochondria-related genes from MitoCarta3.0 to obtain mitochondria-related DEGs associated with COPD (MitoDEGs).
A novel treatment strategy with hyperbaric oxygen of chronic osteomyelitis and pseudoarthrosis in a child with congenital hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type 4 congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis syndrome: a case report.
J Med Case Rep
January 2025
Department of Orthopaedics, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Background: Congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis is a rare but devastating hereditary disease. Congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis is caused by a mutation in the neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase 1 gene (NRTK1). The condition is characterized by multiple injuries, recurrent infections, and mental retardation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!