Health-care system doesn’t meet the needs of Maritime women: IWK Foundation survey

Jennifer Gillivan, president and CEO of the IWK Foundation, talks about a new survey looking at women’s health care in the Maritimes.

Maritime women are frustrated by a health-care system that doesn’t meet their needs and avoid seeking care because they have too many responsibilities and fear they won’t be taken seriously.

Those are some of the key findings of the largest-ever open survey focused on women’s health in the Maritimes.

More than 27,000 women across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I. participated in the open survey, which was conducted in July by the IWK Foundation. The anonymous survey invited women aged 18 and up to share their personal health experiences and challenges.

The IWK Foundation says 70 per cent of respondents agree the current system doesn’t meet their needs while 86 per cent believe significant changes are needed to improve women’s health care.

“This is not just data, it’s the lived realities of more than 27,000 Maritime women,” said Jennifer Gillivan, president and CEO of the IWK Foundation, in a news release.

“We titled the report The Voice of Maritime Women — The Unspoken Burden of Women’s Health. These burdens can no longer remain unspoken. They are loud, clear, and long overdue for action.”

In an interview with CTV News Atlantic’s Bruce Frisko, Gillivan said they only expected to get responses from 2,000 women.

“Within 48 hours we had the first 2,000 responses,” she said. “They kept coming in. Women have spoken loudly and clearly.”

The survey notes the most common health concerns were not acute illnesses, but “invisible” health issues like stress, anxiety, sleep disruption, hormonal imbalances, and the physical and emotional toll of caregiving.

It also found social pressures, caregiving roles, financial strain and knowledge gaps all create barriers to women’s health and wellness.

Some of the key findings:

• 75 per cent of women have delayed or avoided seeking health care because they have too many responsibilities and are worried about their doctor not taking them seriously
• 34 per cent of women report they are doing “OK”
• 21 per cent describe themselves as “being in crisis”
• 48 per cent don’t feel informed about the next stage of their health journey
• 56 per cent report health issues that actively disrupt their day-to-day life:
• 81 per cent report health issues affect their home life:
• 70 per cent report health issues affect their work

The report also identified the top issues Maritime women want to see prioritized:

1. menopause (48 per cent), hormonal health (42 per cent) and perimenopause (38 per cent)
2. stress (47 per cent), anxiety (44 per cent) and depression (42 per cent)
3. obesity/weight management (42 per cent)
4. sleep disorders (33 per cent)
5. heart disease (31 per cent)
6. cancer (29 per cent)

“This is a roadmap,” added Gillivan. “Women aren’t asking for more resilience, they’re already showing that every day. They are not just asking for better care, they are demanding a new approach, one that values their experiences, prioritizes preventive care, embraces gender-informed research and education, and invests in specialized services across every life stage. Our responsibility now is to act.”

When asked what would most improve health in the Maritimes, respondents said:

• easier access to care, with more doctors, better navigation, and shorter wait times
• dedicated women’s health clinics
• stronger education and training for doctors on women’s health
• more research on women’s bodies, symptoms and experiences
• better support for mental health and caregiving
• care that listens, respects and includes women in decision-making

The IWK Foundation is the primary fundraising organization for the IWK Health Centre, a hospital for women and children in Halifax.

-With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Sean Mott