What all physicians should know about women's health: a Delphi study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Women's Health
• Sex and Gender Differences in Health

Background:

• Despite increased knowledge of sex and gender differences in health, its integration into medical education and clinical practice remains insufficient.
• This gap in knowledge transfer leads to suboptimal healthcare for women compared to men.

Purpose of the Study:

• To achieve consensus on critical women's health knowledge essential for all physicians.
• To identify key areas for improving medical education and clinical practice in women's health.

Main Methods:

• A Delphi study involving women's health experts from 10 specialties and a patient advisory board.
• International recruitment from Europe and North America via networks and snowball sampling.
• Statements were voted on for relevance and feasibility, with consensus determined by >80% agreement and Likert scale ratings.

Main Results:

• Consensus was reached on 18 high-priority statements covering women's societal position, patient perceptions, symptomatology differences, pharmacology, and life cycle impacts.
• These statements address top clinical conditions and public health issues in women's health.
• Agreement was also reached on the necessity of integrating these insights into medical curricula.

Conclusions:

• A consensus list of 18 essential women's health statements for physicians was established.
• The findings underscore the need for incorporating these crucial insights into medical schools, postgraduate training, and continuing medical education.
• Implementation of updated women's health education is the critical next step to enhance patient care.