CVS Study: Women’s Post-Pandemic Health Contrasts Men’s
CVS Health’s 2022 Health Care Insights Study finds that female U.S. consumers are very interested in engaging health care providers in discussions about their holistic health, mental health, and physical health goals, although women post-pandemic struggle more with mental health, anxiety, and achieving their health goals compared to men.
The study, conducted among 1,000 U.S. consumers and 400 health care providers, reveals consumers’ evolving views about a post-pandemic health care industry, how consumers perceive their own wellbeing, and what consumers define as an ideal care delivery experience. According to the report, coordination and communication are the two watchwords for a new generation of health care.
“Women are the chief medical officers of their families, leading the way in choosing their children’s doctors, ensuring family members get recommended care, and serving as primary caretakers for aging parents and children alike. However, women often face equity-related roadblocks while trying to achieve their own health goals. We must improve women’s access to care delivery and eliminate the systematic barriers keeping them from living healthy lives,” explains Joanne Armstrong, who is the Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Women’s Health and Genomics at CVS Health.
Building Lasting Relationships Between Consumers And Physicians
More than ever, according to the study, consumers want to build lasting relationships with their physicians and other providers and have meaningful conversations about their health conditions. As people embrace lifestyle changes post-pandemic as essential elements of overall health, they want providers to know about those changes and to advise them on further actions they can take to improve health.
The research has shown that patients generally have a high degree of trust in their providers, including primary care physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and others, and furthermore, they are increasingly seeking support and guidance on medication adherence, mental health needs, and other areas. This is especially true for more vulnerable patient populations like older adults and those with chronic conditions, many of whom have co-morbidities and often take multiple medications. Quick and easy connections with providers via phone calls, texts, and other virtual means are highly valued by patients.
When it comes to female consumers, whether their goal is decreasing daily stress levels or increasing overall well-being, 85% of women feel it’s important for their primary care physician to be aware of their level of stress and ability to deal with difficult emotions and 83% indicated it’s important for their primary care physician to be aware of any type of health goals they may have, compared to 75% of men who felt this is important. Interestingly, only 16% of women described progress toward achieving health goals as “significant” while 31% of men shared the same statement.
Good Mental Health One Of The Top Priorities For Women
Women often carry more emotional burdens and stressors compared to men regarding their health and the health of those around them. The good news is women tend to be more open about using mental health services and identifying when someone else may struggle with their mental health.
But women, more often than men, experience personal health issues and anxiety issues, thereby struggling more to achieve their health goals. Perhaps women are more responsive to mental health services because they’ve struggled more with mental health issues, reporting higher stress levels over the past 12 months when compared with men.
Notably, CVS Health’s research found women, compared to men, tend to be more receptive to mental health and behavioral health. Four in ten women (40%) versus over one in four men (28%) say they would use or take recommendations from a mental/behavioral health specialist.
“As more women embrace the connection between mind and body, they recognize that ‘health’ and ‘health care’ are closely interconnected,” shares Cara McNulty, DPA, President, Behavioral Health & Mental Wellbeing, CVS Health. There is therefore a key opportunity for providers to work more closely with female patients to ensure their needs and wants regarding their mental health are adequately addressed and communicated effectively.
Despite this, more men than women say they’re doing well to achieve their health goals. Therefore, there is sizable room for improvement to support women along their healthcare journeys and offer the support they need to achieve their goals.
“COVID-19 sparked a global health crisis and ongoing conversations about mental health, civil rights, and so much more,” adds McNulty. “All of this caused a great deal of daily and long-term stress for people. The evolving public health guidance regarding pandemic measures and societal issues like poverty, climate change, and civil rights were also sources of stress for a majority of respondents. More than ever, we need to ensure consumers have access to supportive and non-judgmental mental health care and services.”
Fortunately, women are keen on seeking help from their doctors about all they may be going through personally because of the pandemic. And more women than men are choosing to prioritize their health and wellness needs post-pandemic.
“According to our research, women tend to express different holistic health needs than men,” explains Armstrong. “For example, women say they experience more stress around money and have higher levels of concern for the health of those around them than men do. A higher number of women reported high or moderate stress during the past 12 months regarding household finances, as well as felt stress because of the physical health of their family members and loved ones. These findings indicate that providers must be particularly aware of the mental and emotional challenges experienced by women and work together to ensure all aspects of well-being are being addressed.”
Coordinated And Synchronized Care
The research found that 88% of providers wish they had more time to spend with and care for patients with complex conditions. A majority of physicians (61%) also noted that access to specialized care support for patients with certain complex conditions had a high to moderate impact on their ability to achieve desired outcomes.
This is why the new care models that offer in-person, virtual, and home-based care options—supported by seamless data sharing and coordinated by physician-led teams—are the future. Patients also recognize that this type of care coordination is vital to better experiences and outcomes. Indeed, 83% of consumers reported that coordination among all health care providers is very or somewhat important to their health. Equally, 85% of consumers say it is important their primary care provider be aware of their prescription drugs prescribed by other health care providers, while 83% of consumers say it is important their primary care provider be aware of other physicians they are seeing and their diagnoses and recommendations.
Most people want their medical information to be digitized, and for this information to be available to their providers.
Convenience, Accessibility, And Cost Are Key Factors Shaping The Health Care Experience And Outcomes
Survey respondents consider convenience, accessibility, and cost as key factors shaping their health care experience and outcomes. Virtual care options are valuable, as consumers want to receive medical care on their own terms. Nearly all consumers (92%) say convenience is an important factor when choosing their primary care provider, with more than one in three (37%) having scheduled a virtual visit to save money or time.
Health care providers say virtual options are helping more patients adhere to their care plans, and most (53%) say adding virtual care options has resulted in more patient visits. Virtual care visits also allow patients to speak about tough topics like mental health issues, depression, or substance abuse concerns more intimately and conveniently, with 48% of consumers saying they are likely to seek out mental health services if a virtual visit is available.
This year’s Health Care Insights Study clearly shows that consumers are depending on their providers and physicians as sources of trusted information amid uncertainty. The study results also show that the delivery of health care must evolve into a coordinated, accessible, convenient, and affordable part of everyday life – especially for underserved and vulnerable populations.
Image: Getty
