{"id":3189,"date":"2024-01-30T12:28:34","date_gmt":"2024-01-30T12:28:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/discovery-park.co.uk\/?p=3189"},"modified":"2024-01-30T12:35:02","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T12:35:02","slug":"why-are-the-health-benefits-of-51-of-the-population-so-often-overlooked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/discovery-park.co.uk\/why-are-the-health-benefits-of-51-of-the-population-so-often-overlooked\/","title":{"rendered":"Why are the health benefits of 51% of the population so often overlooked?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Women\u2019s health has historically faced challenges and disparities, with issues often overlooked across all sectors. Not only with regards to conditions solely affecting women, but also understanding the different physiological responses that women have in areas such as cardiac disease and immune responses. It is also known that women use health technology differently to men, presenting clear opportunities to deliver measurable health benefits to over half of the population, as well as a huge market opportunity for businesses to target.<\/p>\n
Femtech and women\u2019s health innovation are increasingly growing areas, however there is a risk that the promise of these areas is not realised without recognising the challenges that remain. Dr MaryAnn Ferreux, Medical Director at Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex (HIKSS), and Melissa Ream, Specialist Commercial Advisor, HIKSS, share their perspectives on the potential opportunities in femtech and women\u2019s health, and how we can work together to reap the benefits.<\/p>\n
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MaryAnn Ferreux<\/strong> \u2013 The main challenges in women\u2019s health stem from decades if not centuries of gender bias and discrimination. In the past, many women\u2019s health complaints were attributed to being emotional or hysterical and these gender stereotypes often led to doctors mistreating women\u2019s symptoms as a mental health condition, rather than a physical condition.<\/p>\n While that has changed, much of this inherent gender bias remains, with many clinical trials and research studies not assessing the impact on women.1 We have recognised that there is a gender-based data gap but now we need to overcome this. Data sets are very rarely analysed by gender, and yet it is almost universally recorded, so the disparities in how genders respond in different disease groups could and should be analysed routinely.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Melissa Ream<\/strong> \u2013 We often think about women\u2019s health in terms of women\u2019s conditions, be that menstrual health, maternity or menopause. But women\u2019s health care is general health care too. The cardiac symptoms and risks for women are different to men, yet these are not widely known. And this comes down to under representation of women in data sets as well as unconscious bias in the wider world. If you search for images of people having a heart attack on Google, most of the images will be of men. Cardiovascular disease in women is a bigger killer than breast cancer2 and we need to start taking this more seriously, looking at how our clinical services are designed, delivered and promoted.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n MaryAnn Ferreux<\/strong> \u2013 AI has a lot of potential to improve the health experiences of women, but there is a risk of building in more inequality if we do not address gender bias in data sets. More and more innovators are wanting to use AI in their technologies but some of them are not thinking about bias until it\u2019s too late. A global analysis of AI systems found that 44% demonstrated a gender bias.3 We need to ensure that the data sets used are comprehensively analysed and shown to be relevant to the target population and this comes down to the decision makers asking the right questions, whether that\u2019s innovators, regulators, funders or purchasers. I\u2019m also concerned about a lack of leadership in AI regulation and who is at the decision-making table. Without diversity at that top level, it is unlikely that the right questions will be asked early enough \u2013 retrofitting later on just won\u2019t work!<\/p>\n Learning from experience presents a huge opportunity, but one that we haven\u2019t been previously good at. As an example, a lack of ethnicity data incorporated into skin algorithms resulted racial bias in pulse oximetry, ensuring that the device was not as effective for black and ethnic minority people.4 This disparity has been observed since the 90s5 and yet the device was still used during the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in worse outcomes for black and ethnic minority people. We didn\u2019t address the problem when we had the chance, and we need to ensure this doesn\u2019t happen again.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Melissa Ream<\/strong> \u2013 As MaryAnn says, having people at the decision-making table is vital to ensure that equality is incorporated into our systems. There is still a shortage of women in leadership roles even in the femtech industry and this needs to change, from more women at C-level, to more women investors. With women making up just 22%3 of AI workers, we need active engagement from all sides to help make this change. Role models are a powerful tool; if you can\u2019t look above for inspiration then you\u2019re unlikely to move in that direction. It\u2019s therefore so important that we build networks to support this. Innovation hubs like Discovery Park play a powerful role in this, providing a network to support women in leadership positions and a platform that draws attention to the issues and also to those overcoming them. When we see good practice, let\u2019s talk about it!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n MaryAnn Ferreux<\/strong> \u2013 To make change happen, we need to use both a stick and a carrot. There must be something built into our structures and processes that sets out expectations and ensures compliance with health equity. But we also need to use financial levers as a carrot, with investors and purchasers demonstrating an interest in this area and making decisions that reflect a commitment to reducing health inequalities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n MaryAnn Ferreux and Melissa Ream<\/strong> \u2013 There are three areas to focus on that we believe will see real results:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Melissa Ream<\/strong> \u2013 Change doesn\u2019t exist in a vacuum, it takes work across the entire system, and local hubs are an excellent starting point. By working together locally to understand the problems and bringing together groups to address these problems, we can see real impact. There are important roles for everyone within the industry, from the NHS to individual companies, hubs like Discovery Park and national networks like Barclays Eagle Labs and Health Innovation Networks. If we collaborate, we can make health care more equitable, close the gap and reduce inequalities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n MaryAnn Ferreux<\/strong> \u2013 Discovery Park is in an exciting position, embedded in the start-up community but with close links to the NHS and academia, there is opportunity to set a standard and drive this campaign forward. Discovery Park Ventures is already investing in women led femtech companies, and I enjoyed joining the team at Giant Health to discuss the challenges and opportunities in this space.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Discovery Park recently hosted a panel at Giant Health on \u2018Unlocking Opportunities in Women\u2019s Healthcare\u2019.<\/strong> The panel was moderated by Sylvia Stevenson, Founder, Absolute Diversity, and featured Dr MaryAnn Ferreux, Medical Director, Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex, Lina Chan, Holland & Barrett General Manager Wellness Ventures and CEO, Founder at Parla, Melisa Guven, Associate, Monograph Capital and Karina Vazirova, Co-Founder & CEO, Femtech Lab.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Image (L-R):<\/strong> The Discovery Park panel at Giant Health on \u2018Unlocking Opportunities in Women\u2019s Healthcare\u2019 with Lina Chan, Dr MaryAnn Ferreux, Melisa Guven, Karina Vazirova and Sylvia Stevenson.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Women\u2019s health has historically faced challenges and disparities, with issues often overlooked across all sectors. Not only with regards to conditions solely affecting women, but also understanding the different physiological responses that women have in areas such as cardiac disease and immune responses. It is also known that women use health technology differently to men, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":3196,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMaryAnn, you mentioned data sets. Do you think AI has the power to change this or do these concerns remain?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
So, what do we need to do to support equality in healthcare?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
What would be on your women\u2019s health manifesto to help guide this change?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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You\u2019re both based in Kent. How important do you think local networks are to support these changes?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n