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Field: Vocational Education and Training
Project Title: Upskilling VET institutions and healthcare professionals on promoting gender equality in healthcare provision
Project Acronym: EqualHealth
Project Start Date: 01/12/2022
Project total Duration: 24 Months
Project End Date: 30/11/2024
Applicant organisation:
Partner organisations:
Project Number: 2022-1-NO01-KA220-VET-000088213
The impetus for undertaking this project can be attributed to the following factors:
The right to health is among a range of internationally agreed human rights standards and is inextricably linked with these other rights. However, in recent years, there has been a substantial body of research and documentation on gender inequality and gender bias in healthcare.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines gender inequality in healthcare as the unequal distribution of resources and opportunities within a population, ensuring that no subgroup is particularly disadvantaged compared to others. The term "gender bias" is used to describe a tendency to favour one gender over another. These phenomena are observed in the context of healthcare.
A review of the literature reveals that women are more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than men, despite both genders responding similarly to treatment. It may therefore be surmised that the heightened risk for women is attributable to their response to myocardial infarction rather than the infarction itself. Furthermore, the presentation of myocardial infarction in women frequently differs from that observed in men. The symptoms experienced by women may be less severe and less alarming than those experienced by men. A further example is that of pain management. It is more common for women to be diagnosed with chronic pain, yet many report that their pain is not taken seriously by healthcare professionals, which can result in prolonged diagnosis and treatment times and increased pain.
A study published in the journal Nature Communications analysed the health data of nearly 7 million men and women in the Danish healthcare system over a 21-year period, demonstrating that women were diagnosed later than men for over 700 diseases. Furthermore, women have frequently been excluded from clinical drug trials for decades, partly due to the unsubstantiated assumption that hormonal fluctuations would render the study of women more challenging. The objective of this project is to provide training and education to medical professionals in order to enhance their ability to recognise, treat and provide services for women's symptoms.
In what manner does the Project address the selected priorities?
It is not uncommon for women to be misdiagnosed and treated with gender-specific biases in healthcare settings. It has been demonstrated that, even in those member states that are most advanced in terms of gender equality, such as Denmark and Norway, healthcare professionals continue to treat women in a manner that is less respectful than that afforded to men. This is primarily attributable to pervasive stereotypes and the training that healthcare professionals receive.
The objective of the project is to modify existing vocational education curricula in accordance with contemporary societal requirements and fundamental human rights, thereby ensuring that women have equal access to quality healthcare as men. The development of a vocational education course on gender bias will provide a new tool for vocational education institutions to offer training that addresses current societal challenges and needs.
Concurrently, the project will facilitate innovation in vocational education by introducing novel pedagogical approaches within the healthcare vocational domain. It will offer a course on empathy, social awareness, and gender sensitivity, which is currently absent from any healthcare vocational training programme in the participating countries.
What are the desired outcomes of this undertaking, and what specific results are to be achieved?
What are the desired outcomes of this undertaking, and what specific results are to be achieved?
The project's objective is to provide healthcare professionals (nursing and midwifery, ESCO 2221 and 2222) with a novel, innovative, and accessible learning opportunity on gender equality. The project's specific objectives are as follows:
The project aims to promote innovation in vocational education by offering a new specialisation in gender equality in healthcare.
- Further education for those working in the healthcare sector.
- Promoting awareness of the significance of incorporating gender equality training into the curricula of healthcare professional programmes.
- Enhancing the relevance of vocational education to the requirements of contemporary healthcare
- Furnishing the requisite guidelines and methodological framework for vocational educators to adapt their courses and curricula to gender equality regulations.
It is anticipated that the project will yield the following outcomes:
The project will result in the production of a guide for vocational education professionals.
The project will also deliver a training programme for professionals and trainees in healthcare, an eLearning programme comprising awareness-raising materials, and networking events. Furthermore, the project will deliver dissemination results, including a dissemination and exploitation strategy and toolkit providing an overview of the project's approach, public identity, target groups, and channels; a project website, project flyers, publication templates, and press release templates; two external evaluation reports; and two official reports to the National Agency.
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