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Women are less likely to receive correct diagnoses than men

On Behalf of | Jul 12, 2018 | Firm News

As a woman, you undoubtedly have faced some type of bias or discrimination at some point in your life. Even if the incident was relatively minor, it may still have irked you that your gender had an impact in a situation where it should not have mattered. Unfortunately, women face many scenarios in which they may not be taken as seriously as they should simply due to their gender.

One area where gender bias could prove particularly harmful relates to your health. You may find yourself experiencing serious health concerns, but when you speak to your doctor or other medical health professional, you may find yourself shocked when the staff member brushes off your concerns. This type of situation may not only feel insulting but also have you in fear for your health, and you are not alone.

Misdiagnoses in women

You may already know that when a doctor fails to properly diagnose a medical issue, the condition can worsen, need additional medical treatment or even result in fatal outcomes. In many cases, the patient could have avoided these outcomes if he or she had received a proper diagnosis and treatment. For women, delayed or wrong diagnoses are not uncommon.

Even when a woman experiences immense pain, medical staff may not give her the needed pain medication as quickly as they would to a male patient. One study even indicated that women face a higher chance of having their pain brushed off as the result of emotions or simply not real at all. The same report stated that women were also less likely to receive aggressive treatments to address their pain.

Potential deadly scenarios

Heart disease and stroke are serious medical conditions that can have deadly outcomes. Unfortunately, women are less likely to receive correct diagnoses for these issues even if they present symptoms. Even after a heart attack, women face a 50 percent higher risk of not receiving a correct diagnosis for heart disease than a male patient. Additionally, doctors are 30 percent more likely to send women home from the emergency room without a correct diagnosis when they present signs of a stroke .

Medical malpractice

When gender bias or other negligence leads to a misdiagnosis, you could end up suffering additional harm. Failure to diagnose a medical condition could fall into the category of medical malpractice, depending on the circumstances of your situation. Therefore, if you would like to potentially seek compensation for damages suffered from a misdiagnosis or delayed treatment, you may want to obtain an evaluation of your case from a legal professional.

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