Are Women Getting As Much Care as Men

Hickory, NC - Thanks to quality imprvement efforts at hospitals heart attack patients are getting better quality care and enjoying longer and healthier lives. But the latest study, led by a team from the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center found that women are less likely to get top-quality heart attack care as men do. The study also suggests that this gap in care affects women's odds of dying soon after they leave the hospital. In other words, the women aren't as likely as men to get all of those proven treatments and prventive measures.

This study is presented on March 9 at the American College of Cardiology meeting in Florida and is based on data from 33 Michigan hospitals, led by the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center.

The idea that women patients were less likely than men to have a one-on-one session with doctors or nurses before they leave the hospital may be the reason of this difference. If the women patients are less likely to meet a doctor or a nurse before they leave the hospital they are less likely to fully understand how to "take charge" of the medicines and lifestyle changes that could benefit their health.

"We're troubled by the gender differences we found, though we remain encouraged by the overall effect of post-heart attack quality improvement efforts," says lead researcher Kim Eagle, M.D., clinical director of the U-M Cardiovascular Center.

While the new data do not present the insights of what is causing the gender differences, the doctors note that in average,the female patients were older and more seriously ill, which fits the pattern of heart disease among women.

Source: University of Michigan

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