Women with lived experience of cardiovascular disease have come together to help shape the future of care for women in Australia.
The Ministerial Expert Panel on Women's Health, chaired by the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, will provide women from across Australia to give voice to their experiences of heart, stroke and other conditions.
The roundtable will give women the opportunity to speak openly about their experiences of cardiovascular disease, including the challenges they faced recognising symptoms specific to women, getting a diagnosis, accessing care and finding ongoing support.
Women of all ages and experiences from a range of life stages will join members of the Expert Panel to talk about inequities in care for cardiovascular disease as young women, during pregnancy and associated with perimenopause and menopause.
Women can experience cardiovascular disease differently to men, often with symptoms that are less widely recognised. This can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment, increasing the risk of poorer health outcomes.
The conversations highlighted opportunities to improve women's health care, with participants calling for greater awareness of how cardiovascular disease presents in women, earlier diagnosis and more tailored support throughout treatment and recovery suitable for their stage of life.
The roundtable brought together women from diverse backgrounds to ensure a focus on First Nations women and women from culturally and linguistically diverse communities experiences of cardiovascular disease.
A second roundtable will follow later this year and will bring together clinicians, colleges, peak bodies, researchers and women's health representatives to examine the realities of delivering cardiovascular care for women and identify practical solutions to improve quality, safety and consistency of care.
The insights from both roundtables will inform the Expert Panel's advice to the Australian Government on improving women's cardiovascular health.
Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister White:
"Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death for women, yet many still face barriers to getting the care they need.
"Listening to women speak openly and honestly about their experience of cardiovascular disease, was incredibly powerful. These were deeply personal conversations and I'm grateful for every woman who shared their story.
"Women shared confronting experiences of having their symptoms overlooked or dismissed, including one woman who was told to sit in the waiting room and take a Valium, while she was having a heart attack.
"The stories reinforce why change is needed to ensure women are listened to and receive the care they deserve. These conversations will help shape future efforts to improve cardiovascular care for women across Australia."
Quotes attributable to Ms Cindy McCall, consumer representative of the Expert Panel:
"We are not small men. Women's heart symptoms often present differently to men's, and those symptoms are typical for women.
"Women should not be compared to men in this way. In Australia, 20 women die every day from heart disease - our mothers, sisters, daughters, friends and colleagues. Women's heart disease needs to be taken seriously.
"Finally, the voices of consumers and patients are being heard, helping create real change for women's heart health in Australia."
