Women’s health is an issue that requires everyone’s attention and reflection. In a world where medical advances are constant and health information is just a click away, significant challenges still persist regarding female well-being due to ignorance, misinformation, or taboos.
Women need to feel listened to, cared for, and perceive our health as a real concern among health professionals. At Alliance Healthcare, and with the aim of responding to the real needs of women in information and advice about their health, we have carried out a study that reveals, among other data, that 90% of Spanish women are interested in receiving plus women’s health advice from the pharmacy.
From this analysis, carried out in collaboration with an independent consultant, it is clear that menstrual and sexual health and menopause are the topics that generate the greatest interest and concern in Spanish women, with sexual health as a topic of transversal interest at all ages. .
The data shows that there is great interest on the part of women to learn more about their health and well-being, which is why pharmacists are presented with an excellent opportunity to respond to it from their pharmacy offices, a space close, safe and knowledgeable.
Individual information meetings, information brochures, talks and pharmacy materials are, in general, the ways considered most interesting for women to receive advice, according to the aforementioned study. From companies like ours we have the capacity and responsibility to contribute to the continuous training of pharmacists, based on scientific evidence and with the help of professionals in the sector to be able to fulfill this fundamental role in health dissemination and prevention.
Furthermore, I consider transversal collaboration between specialist doctors and pharmacists in women’s health care to be essential to offer a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach, so that the pharmacist can offer truthful, contrasted information, based on scientific evidence, and updated to women. women who come to their pharmacy offices.
In our case, at Alphega Farmacias we have developed the ‘Women’s Health’ campaign, a key initiative that seeks to improve patient care from the pharmacy counter on issues related to the well-being of women at different stages of their life. life.
Among our actions, the distribution of informative materials or the organization of various training workshops stand out, such as the one given to more than 200 pharmacy professionals by Asun Arias, pharmacist and expert in category management, skin pathologies and macro nutrition, or the carried out by Sonia Sánchez, Medical Specialist in Gynecology and Obstetrics at the General University Hospital of Catalonia, focused on menopause, considering that 9 out of 10 women with menopause report some symptom related to this stage.
Furthermore, on an emotional level, another fact that this study reveals is that women value very positively that there is a space to address women’s health in the pharmacy, since they feel listened to, and they consider that it fosters empathy and reduces the taboo. The report highlights the importance of approaching women’s health holistically: we cannot just focus on individual aspects of women’s health, but must consider it holistically.
In our case, we have recently inaugurated several holistic women’s health spaces located in a visible point in selected pharmacies, to encourage conversation. In addition, they categorize women’s health products by need, so that they facilitate the vision of the product that each woman may need and, also, the pharmacist’s recommendation.
The idea behind them is to create an environment where women feel comfortable talking about their health, without fear or stigma and based on empathy. In these spaces you can share your doubts and receive scientific, updated and reliable information, as well as advice and recommendations from health professionals. And, beyond that, they also offer the opportunity to address emotional aspects of women’s health, which are often overlooked in more traditional settings.
The importance of these spaces is key, especially in a context where many women still face barriers to accessing adequate medical care. Pharmacies, by being present in local communities and accessible to the entire population, have a unique role to play in promoting women’s health and prevention.
But beyond the individual initiatives that companies can carry out, I consider it crucial that there is a broader and coordinated approach between public and private institutions, to address women’s health as a whole, through policies and programs that address the needs unique to women at all stages of their lives; always, with an eye toward a more comprehensive approach committed to the well-being of women.