is it me, or is this report about men's health riddled with stuff really unhelpful/misleading about women?!

[dontforgetnow]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg5q14qm0l2o

It's well known that men go to the doctors less than women, and data backs this up.
The NHS told the BBC it doesn't release demographic data about GP appointments. But according to the ONS Health Insight Survey, external from February, commissioned by NHS England, 45.8% of women compared to just 33.5% of men had attempted to make contact with their GP practice for themselves or someone else in their household in the last 28 days

is the 'fact' that men go to the doctors less than women, based on the statistic that follows that statement?? 45.8% of women compared to 33.5% of men...blah blah....'for themselves or someone else in their household'...huh?? that is because women are arranging the appointments not just for themselves but for the children and often the husband as well!!

Women, in contrast, are "sort of forced to engage in the health system" because they might seek appointments related to menstruation, contraception, cervical screenings or pregnancy, says Seb Pillon, a GP in Bolton.

SORT OF forced? SORT OF??

what is the point of trying to encourage men to go for more routine appointments/before symptoms are awful?? women do that and it takes years to get diagnosis because we aren't taken seriously even when symptoms are awful

🤬🤬🤬 or am I just in a bad mood?

yanbu

it's infuriating

My DH was treated like some kind of superhero for going to the GP recently. The service he received was outstanding.

I was dumbfounded. (obviously no need for me to explain my own experiences of being dismissed...)

Yabnu.

Fucking ridiculous.
Terrible misleading "journalism"

oh thank you!! I thought I was being a bit crazy and fully expected to be told I was being daft!!

the first example of the poor man with gall bladder issues.....my mum has gall stones and needs her gall bladder removed. diagnosed years ago. constant low/medium level pain. if she has a flare-up they give her medication and send her away again 🤷🏼‍♀️

and .....'men are inherent problem solvers'...😒.....are they????

Tell me about it. I recently had to storm trooper my GP surgery to get the help I need after a whole year of being dismissed out of hand.

I also find it hard to believe that more women than men go to AnE, I'm going to check that now

the idea that men are more stoic than women when it comes to illness, just doesn't tally with my life experience AT ALL

I'd love to see stats for ACTUAL appointments by men and women.

I'd also love to see how many apps need to attended to resolve a single complaint
(ie are men averaging higher forced to repeatedly seek treatment because they are dismissed or ignored and this isln turn discourages attendance ...my hypothesis is...no)

Id also love to see womens health stats and men's health stats for the above broken out separately

We have to keep going back because we generally get fobbed off with a combination of it being our age, our weight or our anxiety causing the issue. Perhaps when medical professionals actually listen to us, we might be able to get treatment the first time.

Or the stats for men who leave A&E before being seen because the wait was too long, vs women.

Almost every man I know in recent years who has gone to A&E has stormed out in a strop at having to wait, tried to circumvent waiting by waltzing into say, radiology for a "walk in" x Ray, and complained that snacks and drinks aren't free while you wait. And eventually left because they were "so bored".

But the "stats" would show a higher proportion of women being seen at a&e (because they stay to actually be seen) and be construed as hyperbolic and hysterical while the men are stoical...

I just don't believe that if you discount pregnancy etc conditions, that more women attend AnE than men...I can't find stats, still looking

Doctors need to listen to EVERYONE. This isn't just a women thing. My husband died due to the exact same thing. Being fobbed off, misdiagnosed, 'making a fuss'. Until it was too late.

Maybe if we stopped seeing ourselves as victims and looked at the whole story of what's happening in the NHS we'd all be better off.

There are now more female GPs than men, so I look to the system for us all rather than sexist attitudes.

YANBU OP and I’m not sure why they included appointments made for someone else in the household, as surely this guarantees the data isn’t relevant? I’ve made countless appointments for my DC in the last year, asked DH to call one morning as I had a work meeting and he even had to ask me what to say when they answered ffs

I would like to know how many of these are repeat appointments for the same thing?

Friend took her daughter to the Dr's repeatedly for the same thing for a year I said send your husband he walked out with a diagnosis of suspected asthma inhalers and a plan

It's always the same

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3753483/

I'm going to dismiss the whole article as being inaccurate and goady.

45.8% of women compared to just 33.5% of men had attempted to make contact with their GP practice for themselves or someone else in their household in the last 28 days
That is 79.3%. Was the other 20.7% toddler playdialling and cats?

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/hospital-outpatient-activity/2020-21/summary-report---gender

You have misunderstood the stats. It’s saying the percentage of women and the percentage of men who attempted to contact their GP were 45.8% and 33.5%, not that of attempts made 45.8% were women and 33.8% men.

Agree with the OP about the ridiculous interpretation of the data, but also I think the figures they give are overall ridiculously high. I consider myself a fairly high NHS user (various issues) but often go months without contacting the GP. Those numbers look crazily high.

here is the data set. I can't look at it in a useful way behind on my phone

https://eu.docworkspace.com/d/sIBD0wayRAaW0mMAG?sa=601.1171

Interesting hospital data OP.

Since 42.6% of appointments are for people over 60, and women live longer than men, you’d expect women to have more appointments even if there was no difference in willingness to access healthcare.

You are right that I don't understand, as I don't understand your explanation either.

Care to expand to a maths dunce?

Edit - that comes across as snippy sorry. I am interested in understanding though

45.8% of women compared to just 33.5% of men had attempted to make contact with their GP practice for themselves or someone else in their household in the last 28 days

Obviously this will be skewed by older people, those with serious illnesses, pregnancy etc but I agree with others that these stats seem extremely high. If this is true then it's no wonder the health system is in trouble. Are people ringing every time they get a cold?

@BiologicalRobot

I will try.

Out of every 100 women, 45 have tried to contact their GP. Out of every 100 men, 33 have tried to contact their GP.

So if a surgery had 100 women and 100 men on their books, they would have had 45 plus 33 contacts, total 78. Of which 45/78 women (58%) and 33/78 men (42%).