Speak Up about Check Up

WomenHeart spoke to Sharonne N. Hayes, MD, director of the Women’s Heart Clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN and a WomenHeart board member to learn more about why the inequities in health care for women continue and how women can empower themselves and others to achieve equal and quality care for their hearts.

WH: The most recent study in the journal Circulation shows that compared with men, women have a 50% greater chance of being delayed in the EMS* setting. A study just a month before pointed out that women are less likely to receive the same care as men in the hospital setting. Do these studies suggest doctors and emergency first responders are really having trouble spotting heart attack symptoms in women?

Dr. Hayes: Yes — While on the one hand, these findings are discouraging and reflect true disparities in care, on the other, we have to acknowledge that health care providers’ best efforts are hindered by the lack of good science about women and heart disease.

There is no good study out there that tells us how similar or different women are from men when it comes to heart attacks. Sometimes the symptoms are not clear, clustered differently, and can be (and often are) attributed to something like indigestion or anxiety.

If you find yourself in an ambulance or emergency room, don’t be afraid to say to the paramedic or triage nurse, “I think I’m having a heart attack.”  

You want a proper diagnosis, and a straightforward blood test and EKG are the starting points.

If the thought crossed your mind that you might be having a heart attack, you need to speak up.

Ask for an EKG, tell them about your symptoms very precisely. Tell the medical staff where you hurt and how long the condition has been building up. Don't pretend that you are alright. Expect to be treated with great care!

*Emergency Medical Services