Insights and Innovations: The Digital Frontier of Women's Health Data

At the ECHAlliance Global Health Connector event held on September 26-27, 2023, in New York at the Science Summit during the United Nations General Assembly, 4 topics were discussed: Green Health, Women’s Health, Data and Digital and Healthy Ageing. In this article, we focus on the recommendations and calls to action concerning to women’s health.

Recommendations in the area of Women’s Health: One of the top healthcare issues today! 

By Nicole Althaus, US Ambassador at ECHAlliance

• There are many challenges facing women’s health – geographical/regional nuances, societal dynamics, gender bias, clinical disparities and the need for personalized, compassionate care.
• Women are the cornerstone of our communities, yet their roles often come at the expense of their own health. 
• Women’s health is an issue that affects not only women themselves, but also their families, communities, and the broader society. 
• Creating collaborations between private and public sectors is important to inform policy change and to create a more sustainable solution using all stakeholders. 
• With the global health and social workforce existing almost 70% of women, only 25% hold leadership positions. Those 25% women who have leadership roles don’t have the influence to bring more funding, research and access for women’s health.
• Women do not feel that providers are listening to them regarding their health.
• FemTech is evolving and expanding, with startups and established companies investing in research and development to meet the unique healthcare needs of women.
  • India has completed a best practice – Women’s Health Guideline
  • Other startups are creating new ways to educate and empower self-care and monitoring
• Women’s Health in US:
  • Value of informal caregiving by women: $148 to $188 billion annually
  • 12.4% of US women are in fair or poor health
  • US has the worst maternal mortality rate of developed countries
  • Top causes of death: heart disease, cancer and chronic lower respiratory disease
• Women’s Health Sub-Saharan Africa:
  • Sub-Saharan Africa has 10% of the population worldwide, 24% of the disease burden, and only 3 % of the health workers. 
  • Maternal mortality: 70% of the world’s maternal deaths is in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Top Causes of Death: neonatal conditions, lower respiratory, diarrheal diseases
• Women’s Health in India:
  • Top Causes of Death: heart disease, stroke, COPD
  • Requires a comprehensive approach to women’s health – improving healthcare infrastructure, increasing awareness, promoting gender equity and addressing cultural norms that hinder women’s access to care and decision-making autonomy.

Call to Action:

• We need to break down the barriers and empower women in healthcare leadership roles to bring women’s health issues to the forefront. This needs to remove political barriers and create accountability.
• An interdisciplinary approach to health equity must include collaboration and partnership between providers, policymakers, insurers and patients.
• Encourage policymakers and healthcare providers to prioritize women’s health by ensuring convenient access and medical coding for comprehensive and affordable healthcare services including preventive care, reproductive health services, menopause, and mental health support.
• We need to share best practices for how we research, educate and listen to women regarding their health and learn from leaders across the globe. We need a TIE to do this.
• Create more content to showcase disparities globally (preventive screening, clinical trials/biased data, reproductive education, health literacy, menopause, drugs)