Nine in 10 respondents to Victoria’s women’s pain survey reported pain lasting longer than a year. One fix is longer GP consults.
The primary care sector may have a new ally in the state government of Victoria, after a major women’s pain report recommended advocating at the national level for increased Medicare rebates for long consults.
Released on Sunday, the Bridging the Gender Pain Gap report summarised responses from more than 13,000 women, healthcare professionals and peak bodies.
It came with five key findings – including that gender bias in pain perception led to women’s pain being inadequately treated – as well as seven key recommendation areas and 27 recommendations.
The headline finding was that the healthcare system is built around Caucasian male biology and has historically seen low investment in women’s health research.
“As a result, women and girls spend years searching for diagnoses and support – all while symptoms worsen and funds are drained on therapies that may or may not work,” the report said.
“Many medical models and clinical guidelines overlook sex and gender differences, leading to gaps in diagnosing and treating conditions that affect women, girls and gender diverse people.”
General practice was the most commonly accessed service among respondents, and the report specifically mentioned that women and sector stakeholders identified a need to increase GP subsidies to support longer appointments.
Recommendation 7.1 was for the Victorian government to advocate directly to the commonwealth to increase Medicare rebates for long GP consults.
The state government has not issued its formal response to each recommendation yet, but its current activities are focussed on delivering state-funded sexual health hubs and women’s health clinics.
GP and women’s health expert Associate Professor Magdalena Simonis said that it was positive that there was now documentation of the reality and existence of women’s pain.
“We have now made it very clear that this is not a tolerated situation, that women’s pain needs to be listened to,” she told The Medical Republic.
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“Doctors, healthcare professionals, gynaecologists, surgeons, urologists; we all need to stop and listen to women when they say, ‘I have pain’.
“However … at the medical school [level], we need to introduce pain through the gender lens and through the intersectional lens … because it is not being taught in the way that it is lived in the real community.”
Professor Simonis, who is also the RACGP women’s health spokesperson, said she would like to see more funding going toward the whole primary care sector, rather than just toward specialist women’s health clinics.
“There are higher rebates for GPs like myself, who insert [long-acting reversible contraceptives] in our consultation rooms, but we also need support for the provision of Penthrox and pain management in our clinic, so that I don’t need to refer my patients elsewhere … to have an expensive prescription filled out for their LARC insertion.”
She also identified a lack of affordable, high-quality ultrasound services for women with suspected endometriosis.
“Where can I send my patient for an ultrasound if she’s 18 or she’s 21 … and lives alone with mum in housing commission out in Footscray, and she’s got endometriosis that she can’t get into a public hospital for?” Professor Simonis said.
“It’s agony, and I can’t get her in to have an ultrasound. I could manage some of that … if I had the funding.”
