Identifying sex disparities in management of cardiovascular diseases in Australia

Background

• Evidence suggests women and men experience medical care differently after they develop cardiovascular disease (CVD). 
• For example, women attending primary health care in Australia are less likely to have their risk factors for CVD measured. For those at high risk of CVD, young women are frequently less likely to receive appropriate treatment.
• Information on whether women (or men) are being undertreated in other aspects of CVD management in Australia is lacking.

Aims

• To identify sex disparities in CVD care and outcomes.
• To explore how these vary across key population subgroups, including age, social class and, where possible, ethnicity.

Method

• Together with the UNSW Centre for Big Data Research in Health, analyse ‘Big Data’ for a whole-of-population cohort of over 100,000 women and men admitted to hospital with incident CVD.
• Conduct analysis of sex and gender differences in treatment after stroke, using a linked administrative dataset, which includes all patients treated in NSW hospitals between July 2005 and June 2020.

Potential Impact

• The data will provide sex-disaggregated information on social-demographic and clinical differences; treatment delivered both in and upon discharge from the hospital; secondary prevention treatment packages relative to existing Australian recommended standards; and all serious adverse outcomes after hospital discharge.
• Using the derived understanding of sex differences in stroke in Australian women and men, it will be possible to identify appropriate sex-specific changes to treatment

Fast Facts

• This project will provide sex disaggregated information on social-demographic and clinical differences for CVD management, including: treatment delivered both in and upon discharge from hospital; secondary prevention treatment packages relative to existing Australian recommended standards; and all serious adverse outcomes after hospital discharge.
• This improved understanding of sex differences in stroke management among Australian women and men will enable the identification of appropriate sex-specific changes to treatment for better health outcomes.