Teaser: The Effect of Gender on the Communication of Diagnoses & Treatment
If you listen for it, you might be surprised to hear how often women – including but not limited to educated, professional career women – come back from the doctor thinking they are imagining things or need multiple opinions before finding a medical professional that takes them seriously enough to reach the right diagnosis.
Gender attributes and stereotypes play an influential role in communication and may influence doctor-patient communication as well as decisions and actions taken. This point is often overlooked or not given due importance. Indeed, research shows that gender bias in medicine influences various stages of healthcare.
Panel 2 “The Effect of Gender on the Communication of Diagnoses & Treatment” will address biases related to diagnosing and communicating about mental and/or neurological diseases in women.
The lineup will be as follows:
- Cheri Ballinger, Actress/Film Producer, activist on Traumatic Brain Injury; WBP Ambassador, USA (Introduction)
- Tania Dussey-Cavassini, Founder and CEO of Forestay River Consulting Ltd, Switzerland (Moderator)
- Michael Craig, Clinical Lead, National Female Hormone Clinic, Maudsley Hospital, UK
- Jennifer Payne, Director of the Women’s Mood Disorders Center, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, USA
- Nouchine Hadjikhani, Director of Neurolimbic Research, Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
- Sara Rubinelli, President of the European Association of Communication in Health (EACH)
With speakers with diverse scientific and research backgrounds, perspectives,
and opinions, the discussion will range from why women’s symptoms are not
always taken as seriously as men’s, how the diagnostic process is affected by
gender (often in subconscious ways), starting from the development of
diagnostic instruments to doctor-patient communications, and the impact this can have on
treatment decisions and quality as well as
health outcomes.
We look forward to sharing insights built on the above with you and hearing about any related experiences you might have. In this way we can all join this debate and contribute towards identifying and addressing these biases.
Curious as to what this session builds on? Read about Panel 1 here. As for what comes next? Read about Panel 3 here (that blog will be published on Wednesday 22 May 2019).
To see the full program, visit https://www.forum-wbp.com/scientific-program/.
To register to attend the Forum, click here: https://www.forum-wbp.com/register/
