The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) and the Royal Women’s Hospital (the Women’s) this week announced a new partnership aimed at closing gaps in diagnosis, treatment and outcomes between men and women.
Unveiled at RMH’s annual International Women’s Day symposium, the initiative will place contemporary research into sex and gender‑based differences at the centre of clinical decision‑making, with the goal of delivering more equitable care for all patients.
Historically, many diagnostic pathways, treatments and clinical trials have been developed using a one‑size‑fits‑all approach, often without adequately accounting for biological sex and gender differences.
The new gender‑informed clinical care initiative will use data to identify conditions where disparities are most pronounced and, over time, develop tailored pathways for diagnosis and treatment that better reflect patients’ needs.
Director of Cardiology at the RMH, Professor Andrew Taylor, said the partnership and more-specific approach would benefit all patients, particularly women.
“Women who present to hospital with a severe type of heart attack are more likely to be initially misdiagnosed,” Professor Taylor said.
“In some cases, women can wait 15 minutes longer than men to receive an ECG (electrocardiogram). That delay can have serious consequences.
“This partnership is about education, data and analysis, so we can ensure our care truly is for everyone.”
The partnership brings together the RMH’s clinical expertise with the Women’s internationally recognised leadership in women’s health, alongside collaboration with renowned Canadian researcher Professor Cara Tannenbaum, a global leader in sex and gender‑informed medicine.
Initial focus areas will include cardiology, neurology, nephrology (kidney care) and respiratory medicine.
The RMH’s Chief Executive Professor Shelley Dolan said the collaboration represents a significant step forward in delivering equitable, evidence‑based healthcare.
“Across the globe, women continue to experience poorer outcomes in many areas of medicine,” Prof Dolan said.
“By combining our data, clinical expertise and shared commitment to equity, we can design – and then swiftly implement – care that reflects the needs of all our patients.”
Chief Executive of the Women’s, Professor Sue Matthews, said the partnership reflects a long overdue shift in how Australia approaches the overall health of women.
“We need to look at the complexity of sex and gender and their impacts on healthcare access, treatment and outcomes, because what’s been done so far has, frankly, not worked,” Prof Matthews said.
“It’s time for a new approach. Focusing on women’s health isn’t special treatment. It is fair, necessary and overdue attention to an area of healthcare that has been neglected for far too long.”
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