Victoria will introduce a new ‘women’s pain standard’ to set clear expectations for how women should be treated when seeking medical care, following an inquiry that found their pain is too often ignored, dismissed or minimised.
The Victorian inquiry into women’s pain is the first of its kind in Australia. It heard from 13,000 women and girls aged between 12 and 79, as well as their carers, clinicians and peak bodies.
The Bridging the Gender Pain Gap report reveals 90 per cent of women have experienced pain that lasted over a year, with more than half experiencing it daily. One third said they were in pain constantly.
Women with disabilities and those from the LGBTQ+ community reported higher rates of prolonged pain.
While 91 per cent of women said they had sought assistance for their pain, the vast majority said they had also experienced dismissal by healthcare professionals. A massive 71 per cent of women had experienced this dismissal.
Meanwhile, 68 per cent of women said cost is an obstacle to receiving the care they need.
The Allan government said it received an overwhelming number of submissions to its inquiry.
The report makes 27 recommendations to improve women’s experiences, across areas like women’s health research, policy strengthening, cultural change and public awareness, training and professional development and increased investment into women’s pain services.
Many women and girls told in the Victorian inquiry of the traumatic experiences they have endured in healthcare settings. This included invalidating responses from doctors and having invasive procedures like an IUD insertion done without adequate pain relief.
The Allan government has committed to a pilot of the use of the ‘green whistle’ for IUD insertions and removals, rolling it out at all 20 Sexual and Reproductive Health Hubs in Victoria. The government hopes this will give women adequate pain relief during the procedure and increase uptake of IUDs, one of the most effective forms of birth control.
“It’s time we stop hearing that our pain doesn’t exist,” Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said.
“These tangible steps will improve the lives of women and girls everywhere. The RCH clinic is going to be life changing – because when young girls face delays in diagnosis and treatment, it can affect them permanently.”
Meanwhile, a new clinical women’s pain standard will empower women to know the standard they should expect when seeking care, the government said. The standard will be developed in consultation with clinicians, experts and women and will eventually be rolled out to all public hospitals and health services.
Women’s Health Victoria Chief Executive Officer Sally Hasler said the report is a powerful and courageous collection of women’s evidence.
“The report details how 95 per cent of respondents sought assistance for their pain – yet they faced major barriers to accessing care such as being ignored and dismissed, costs being too high and long wait times,” Hasler said.
“Unmanaged pain affects women’s relationships, social activities and mental health. Thousands of respondents also said that unmanaged pain had a severe impact on their ability to work or study, impacting our community and economy.”
Hasler said it was important for the Victorian and federal governments to work together to implement the recommendations of the report, and ensure there is focus on women in regional communities, First Nations women and those from different cultural backgrounds.
“The Inquiry into Women’s Pain report outlines major recommendations to improve the health system to make it more responsive and fair for everyone,” she said.
“This includes building the skills of health professionals, and ongoing investment to ensure medical research includes considerations of sex and gender.
“Further, reform of Medicare time-tiered items will help ensure primary care funding reflects the time and skill required by doctors to help people experiencing chronic pain.
“We ask that Medicare funding be increased to cover longer appointments for people living with complex health needs and that rebates for specialist services don’t leave women unfairly out of pocket.”
Victorian Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas announced a new clinic within the Royal Children’s Hospital to focus on sexual and reproductive health and pain conditions such as endometriosis. It will service young people aged up to 18 and will open next year.
“I want to thank the 13,000 Victorian women who’ve made this possible – it’s because of you that we’ll be able to create generational change to our health system,” Thomas said.
“The Women’s Pain Standard and the green whistle trial will be gamechangers for Victorian women – but our work doesn’t stop here.”
The Allan government has committed to developing a Women’s Pain Action Plan over the next six months to set clear goals and respond to the inquiry.