Are Women Being Taken Less Seriously than Men When It Comes to Pain?

When it comes to managing pain, women are being undertreated compared to men, a new study finds.

An analysis of medical records in the U.S. and Israel shows female patients are less likely to receive pain medication compared to men with the same complaints.

One author says, this under-treatment “could have serious implications for women's health outcomes, potentially leading to longer recovery times, complications or chronic pain conditions."

The study also found nurses were less likely to record female pain scores and female patients spent an average of 30 minutes longer in the emergency room which researchers say could indicate they’re being taken less seriously than men when they report pain.

To confirm their findings, the researchers conducted a controlled experiment involving 109 nurses and found they also judged female pain as less intense.

The authors say policy changes are urgently needed to ensure equal pain treatment, regardless of sex.

Source: PNAS

Author Affiliations: Hebrew University, Ben Gurion University, Hadassah Medical Center