As an urgent care clinic in Los Angeles, we have noticed a pattern when it comes to how men and women are diagnosed.
Studies show women are more likely to be misdiagnosed than men. There are multiple factors that could be leading to these errors and Vermont Urgent Care is here to lay them all out.
Dismissive Doctors
The misdiagnosis of women has been a very real issue since the 1980s up until the 21st century. In the 1990s, there was a dramatic spike in the number of deaths among women due to heart-related diseases. Physicians were brushing off their female patients for a number of reasons. For one, women are perceived as more “dramatic” than men and doctors believed their female patients were exaggerating about their symptoms.
Pain Tolerance
It is common knowledge that men and women have different pain tolerances and thresholds. When it comes to health issues, however, women are perceived to have a higher sensitivity to pain than men. This means that when a female patient is exhibiting extremely painful symptoms, there is a higher chance for doctors to minimize their actual pain.
Gender & Weight Bias
There is a negative attitude when it comes to overweight or obesity, especially with women and in turn, affects their health diagnoses.
If a woman is experiencing a shortness of breath and may be a bit overweight, a doctor will more likely recommend that the woman lose weight to resolve the issue. However, a shortness of breath is also a symptom of lung cancer, and can be missed by doctors when their focus is on the overweight aspect of their female patients.
A clinic in Los Angeles, Vermont Urgent Care makes sure to inform our patients of any underlying factors that can negatively affect their health and well-being. The Vermont Urgent Care team prides itself in following a nondiscriminatory system to provide equal diagnoses and treatment plans when it comes to providing care to patients.
About Vermont Urgent Care
Vermont Urgent Care is an affordable clinic in Los Angeles that will always prioritize the health and needs of patients. We are responsible for making sure that all your urgent needs are met and our patients walk away pain-free. Schedule an appointment with us here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more updates on our clinic.
