At Insight Dojo we work extensively in women's health across multiple areas.
Even when we do insights work to engage healthcare professionals, we believe it is important to include ethnographic research with women themselves. This is particularly important due to the many deep-rooted biases that disadvantage women. By listening to women, we have discovered five challenges:
1. Women's health conditions are not salient
Throughout our research we find that doctors are not adequately versed in the range of women’s health conditions and treatments available. This was starkly illustrated by a story told by one of our research participants who had left the doctor’s office having been told there were no treatments available for her condition, only to be chased down the street five minutes later when the doctor realised that they had given her incorrect information. While this might be an extreme example, it reflects a broader pattern we have observed. Healthcare providers need to be better informed. This can avoid prolonged routes to diagnosis, the absence of diagnosis altogether, or lack of appropriate treatments being recommended – issues we frequently see in our research. Raising the salience of conditions will also address the challenge of women not being able to find relevant information easily themselves.
It is clear that there is a pressing need for a broader dialogue surrounding women's health issues and for the real-life experiences of women to be brought into focus. One of our approaches has been to create interactive workshops for gynaecologists, drawing on insights from in-depth ethnographic research with women. These workshops are designed to vividly portray the lived experiences of patients, featuring workstations that simulate the homes of women, complete with audio clips and diary excerpts, ultimately driving the salience of these conditions for attending physicians.
2. Subtleties of the women’s experience are not understood
In our research for an oral product for a menopausal condition we found that many doctors were uncomfortable with the product’s method of administration given that the condition is a local one. The benefits of an oral solution were not apparent to the doctors and our client found it difficult to counter this barrier. Because of this, doctors often avoided recommending the treatment.
Our patient work, which involved visiting women in their homes, revealed that they felt an oral solution was both discreet and felt more natural than a topical solution in the context of this condition. The insight shifted the campaign to highlight this benefit to physicians.
3. Simplistic stereotypes are often used to guide prescription decisions
We often find physicians form simplistic stereotypes in their minds about which patients would benefit from a certain product. This was true for one of the sexual health products we support. Through a series of ethnographic interviews where we visited doctors, we discovered physicians were using crude heuristics to select the patients. In addition to the clinical symptoms, doctors routinely described the suitable patients as those who were “attractive”, “in a new relationship”, and “in a high-profile job”. Women who had been with the same partner for many years, for example, would not be considered for the product and instead be recommended a sub-optimal treatment.
By conducting research with patients, which comprised ethnography and quantitative research, we were able to challenge this view. We discovered that there was a large group of women who did not fit the doctors’ stereotype and yet found the product highly relevant. The discovery of this segment led to a strategy like Dove’s “real beauty” campaign. It highlighted to doctors the needs of real women who were suffering from this condition and challenged the stereotype that was limiting prescriptions of the product.
4. Women's concerns are often disregarded
We frequently conduct mock consultations where we listen to the conversation between doctors and patients and pay close attention to any points of tension. Doctors often discount the concerns of the women. They might dismiss a women’s perception of risk or completely override what the woman says. While the doctor might think that the consultation went well, such an interaction is likely to lead to women not taking the product.
5. True advocates for women’s health are rare
When conducting an ethnographic study with gynaecologists in Europe for a post-menopausal product, we identified a distinct yet small segment of female doctors who were strong believers that the culture around femininity must change. They were advocates for an active sex life as essential for well-being even as women age, contrary to beliefs of other segments of doctors. They believed that our client’s product was a catalyst for change. Having identified this segment, we decided to include them in future research. This helped us to articulate an authentic narrative to support the product’s ambition. Had we not discovered this group, we would have missed the opportunity to explore an important angle of the product’s potential.
By presenting the points above, we hope to highlight the need to keep women front and centre of any insights work in this area. To speak to us more about our work in women’s health, please do not hesitate to get in touch.