Discrimination in the Emergency Room

A new study shows that men receive pain relief more often than women in the emergency room.

💡 Shoham Choshen-Hillel from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem led the study, which is based on data from Israel and the USA. According to the study, women in the emergency room receive pain medication prescriptions less frequently than men, whether the doctor is male or female. “This under-treatment of pain in female patients could have serious health consequences, potentially leading to longer recovery times, complications, or chronic pain conditions,” explains Choshen-Hillel.

💡 The study authors suspect that a gender bias may be behind the results: “It is believed that women are perceived as exaggerating their pain compared to men.” Another possible reason could be that men ask for pain medication more frequently than women.

💡 Regardless of the patients’ age or the severity of their pain, 47% of men and 38% of women who arrived at the emergency room with pain received a prescription for pain relief medication.

💡 The study also found that women in the emergency room wait an average of 30 minutes longer for treatment than men.

💡 According to experts, medical care varies fundamentally across different countries, and there is currently no similar data available for Germany. It is hoped that such a study will be conducted there soon.