New Canadian research suggests that women who suffer brain injuries face inequities in getting access to specialized care, often ending up worse off than men with similar injuries. The findings point to a gap in how the health system responds when women are hurt, one that researchers say can carry serious consequences.
The study drew on Ontario Health data covering more than 55,000 adult patients. It found that women were 26 percent less likely than men to be sent to a trauma center, the kind of specialized facility best equipped to handle serious head injuries. Researchers said that women's symptoms can often be underappreciated when they seek help.
The experience of Francine Gillis illustrates the problem. After she slipped on black ice and hit her head, she was diagnosed with a concussion and whiplash and sent home. In the five days that followed, she was nauseated, could not hold her head up, and found that light and sound had become unbearable.
Her condition turned out to be serious enough that she was eventually admitted to hospital for 10 days, and it took four months for her to see a specialist. She described the toll in stark terms, saying she lost her identity and felt worthless because she could no longer do the things she used to.
The research also looked closely at who the patients were. Female patients tended to be older and more likely to have underlying health issues, including hypertension and dementia, while male patients had more severe trauma. But even after researchers accounted for those factors, women were still less likely to be admitted to a specialized trauma center.
Doctors say the stakes are particularly high for older women, for whom a fall or a slip can lead to severe injuries. A trauma surgeon explained that if the diagnosis is not made early and the right intervention is not provided, the outcomes can be much worse, describing brain injury as an invisible illness that is easy to overlook.
For Gillis, the effects have not faded. A decade after her injury, she is still living with the impacts of her concussion. She said she hopes to see more research focused on brain injuries in women, and better access to the care they need, so that others do not have to go through what she did.