When it comes to healthcare, women have unique needs and experiences. Yet studies show a persistent gap in the quality of healthcare that women receive—especially when they require urgent and emergency care.
How the gender gap affects women’s ER experiences
Even though American women use the emergency department more frequently, it takes longer on average for them to receive care, waiting almost 30% longer to be seen by a doctor than men. This is especially the case for women of color: one study showed that Black women with pregnancy concerns waited 46% longer than white women for emergency department visits. A review of heart attack patients showed that women had higher in-hospital mortality rates, longer emergency department lengths of stay, and were much less likely to receive an early invasive strategy. Longer waits add up to worse health outcomes. Across the board, American women are misdiagnosed more, are less likely to receive pain medication, and are more likely to feel ignored or dismissed at a time when feeling seen and heard is of the utmost importance.
While the traditional healthcare industry is still reckoning with the gender healthcare gap, Sollis Health is stepping up with personalized concierge care and powerful proactive medicine that keeps all of our members out of the ER 99% of the time. By understanding the ways that gender can impact every member’s healthcare, we ensure their medical needs are met—and their expectations exceeded—on every step of the care journey.
How to fight medical gaslighting
One root cause of the gender healthcare gap is medical gaslighting, which is when a healthcare professional seems to invalidate or ignore your concerns. This phenomenon, which disproportionately affects women and other minorities, is linked with misdiagnoses, delayed treatment, and poor health outcomes.
“Up until recently, a lot of research was based on white men, and we used that as a gold standard for how to treat disease,” says cardiologist Jennifer Mieres, MD, senior vice president of Northwell Health’s Center for Equity of Care and a patient advocate. The New York Times has reported that women say doctors frequently blame their health problems on their mental health, weight or a lack of self-care, which can delay effective treatment. For example, studies suggest that women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with a mental illness when their symptoms are consistent with heart disease.
To address this systemic problem, experts suggest solutions like giving doctors more time with patients, since research has shown that when people are juggling many cognitive tasks, they’re more likely to make biased decisions. Better training and regulation are also needed to help medical providers recognize their unconscious biases and create programs that prioritize women’s unique health needs with more and better research. Think you’ve been a victim of medical gaslighting? See another doctor if possible, bring a trusted friend or family member to appointments to advocate for you, and write down your symptoms and questions before your visit to stay organized and clear-headed.
Sollis Health keeps women out of the ER
Because the gender health gap and medical gaslighting are systemic issues, avoiding them entirely is almost impossible. With Sollis Health, however, it’s possible to stay out of the ER 99% of the time while receiving immediate care for everyday and emergency healthcare needs.
Sollis Health brings personalization to every care journey, which means that every member’s experience—whether they need proactive and preventative care or ER-level medicine—is tailored to their medical history, current needs, provider network, and potential risk factors. Sollis solves for gendered care disparities with faster, more comfortable, and more connected care to ensure that none of our members slip through the cracks.
Unlimited visits, 24/7, 365 days a year: Be seen in one of our centers without delay, with an average wait time of 3.5 minutes.
On-demand virtual care: Talk to our ER-trained medical team anytime, day or night.
All-under-one-roof diagnostics: With on-site basic and advanced imaging and in-house labs, members get same-day results so they can start treatment as quickly as possible.
Expedited specialist access: Sollis makes it easy to find a top provider that you feel listens to you—even if they aren’t currently taking new patients.
Care navigation: In urgent and emergency care, people slip through the cracks. Your Care Navigation Team handles scheduling and paperwork, and coordinates with all of your providers.
House calls: For an additional fee, members can receive stitches, IVs, testing, and more in the privacy and comfort of home.
Closing the gender gap with concierge care
Unfortunately, the burden of navigating the gender healthcare gap usually falls on the women seeking treatment. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Sollis Health takes on the stress and confusion of traditional urgent and emergency care for all of our members, ensuring that they feel seen, heard, and supported in the comfort they deserve.
