Gender Disparities in Clinical Decision Making

RECENT evidence has raised concerns that women are disadvantaged because of inadequate attention to the research, diagnosis, and treatment of women's health care problems. In 1985, the US Public Health Service's Task Force on Women's Health Issues reported that the lack of research data on women limited understanding of women's health needs.1 One concern is that medical treatments for women are based on a male model, regardless of the fact that women may react differently to treatments than men or that some diseases manifest themselves differently in women than in men. The results of medical research on men are generalized to women without sufficient evidence of applicability to women.2-4For example, the original research on the prophylactic value of aspirin for coronary artery disease was derived almost exclusively from research on men, yet recommendations based on this research have been directed to