While women make the majority of healthcare decisions in their own homes, they are still struggling to understand the importance of their own healthcare. According to a Women’s Health IQ Quiz, nearly 94% of all women who completed the test failed, demonstrating a severe lack of empowerment when it comes to our own bodies and the healthcare system as it stands today.
Empowering women through accurate healthcare information is imperative, especially in a day and age where information can spread similarly to wildfire through the lens of TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. When women are more informed, they are more likely to take action, especially when it pertains to their health or to the health of their loved ones around them.
Knowledge is power. Without knowledge, we are limited in how we can move forward. Empowering women through accurate healthcare information and education involves providing increased accessibility when it comes to finding physicians, scheduling appointments, and even seeking information regarding a health concern, both online and off. Health education can extend to teaching sessions, mentoring, and even the introduction of new technologies to women working in the healthcare field.
Benefits of Empowering Women Through Accurate Healthcare Information
Empowering women through accurate healthcare information is not just a way to help improve medical and healthcare literacy. It impacts women and their lives in many ways, including the following:
- Making healthcare decisions.
In some cases, the woman in a household may make up to 80% of the healthcare decisions. Informed medical decisions are essential for women who take charge when it comes to their own healthcare as well as the healthcare of their children and loved ones.
- Confidence in self-care.
Women who are more informed when it comes to their own bodies will feel more comfortable and confident in the decision(s) they make.
- Positive outlook.
For those who are well-informed with regards to their healthcare, they are more likely to maintain a positive outlook and attitude when receiving care and/or treatment(s).
Using Technology as a Key to Women’s Empowerment
“One of the most notable benefits of the advent of technology is the overwhelming information that is available at our fingertips,” says Nicole Parsons Newfoundland, an HR expert and advocate for women’s health. “With the use of today’s technologies, giving women from all walks of life ownership to learn more about their healthcare, their own bodies, and medical decisions is much more possible, but we must keep improving.”
Technology can also help to bridge the gap for women who are in a location with little to no healthcare services or for those who are unable to afford medical services but are seeking guidance when searching for alternative healthcare services.
Another method to empower women with the use of accurate healthcare information is through the use of outreach programs. Outreach programs may include health literacy courses, peer coaching, or even health programs that represent or sponsor a corporation or place of work. Using outreach programs can provide solid information and guidance to women who are interested in learning more about their own health or even finding resources for screenings and tests that are most relevant to them based on location and the age group they are in. Outreach programs also help to empower women by providing them with a space that is designed to offer resources without requiring insurance, upfront costs, or major investments.
Education and Courses
Women’s courses on healthcare can also help women of all ages across the board significantly when it comes to better understanding their bodies, healthcare needs, and own healthcare preferences and/or rights. Educational courses can also include peer-to-peer counseling and direct meetings to help with providing additional pamphlets, guidance websites, and informative resources for women who are interested in learning more about a particular healthcare issue that is important to their own needs. Both in-person and online courses can be effective in leading women to empowerment through accurate healthcare information, whether the course is covering standard biology or complex healthcare equity topics.
Women’s Empowerment Apps
For those who have a vested interest in empowering women through accurate healthcare information, one industry that is thriving includes women’s empowerment apps. Women’s healthcare apps include a myriad of resources and tools including menstrual cycle trackers, mindfulness apps, physical fitness and nutrition apps, and even domestic violence reporting apps which are now widely available to help keep women well-equipped to thrive. A gap still exists in equipping women from all demographics and corners of the world to seek out resources, assistance, and aid on-demand, and this gap continues to shrink as technology becomes more readily available on a global scale.
Understanding the significance of empowering women through accurate healthcare information is essential, not only for women themselves, but for anyone working with or surrounded by women in their everyday lives. The more informed women are about their own healthcare options and conditions, the more empowered they can be in their journey to a healthy, happy life.
