In emergencies, women wait longer than men before being treated, which increases their risk of death.
- Once women are taken to the emergency room, they are more likely to be referred to a specialist care facility after severe trauma.
- 44% of women do not dare talk about certain health problems with their doctor.
“Are potential differences in the timeliness of access to surgical care after severe trauma associated with inequalities in the treatment of male and female patients in emergency departments?” This is the question posed by researchers at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University (United States). To answer this, they carried out a study, the results of which were published in the journal JAMA Surgery.
As part of their work, the scientists analyzed information from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) from 2013 to 2016. These data, examined from July 2020 to July 2021, concerned 28,332 people over the age of 18, including 20,002 men and 8,330 women. These patients had been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, intra-abdominal injury, pelvic fracture, femur fracture, and spinal injury after trauma.
12 minutes apart
According to the results, the time to treatment in the emergency departments was significantly longer for women than for men. Female patients waited approximately three hours before being seen, compared to two hours and 52 minutes for their male counterparts. Clearly, there is a gap of 12 minutes.
Same observation in terms of care: women wait three minutes longer than men before being “assessed and prioritized for emergency care”. According to the authors, these disparities may increase the risk of death in patients.
“These findings suggest potential gaps in care that could be excellent targets for improving the quality of existing assessment and discharge planning processes.”the scientists concluded.
