Victoria launches nation’s first women's pain standard for public health services

On Sunday Victoria unveiled the first Australian women's pain standard, a set of protocols that will be rolled out across all public health services to standardise how women's pain is recognised, assessed and managed. The initiative follows a November inquiry that revealed entrenched medical gender bias, under-investment in women's health research and frequent dismissal or misdiagnosis of women's pain, with disproportionate impact on regional, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, disabled and LGBTQI+ women.

Developed together with clinicians, experts and women, the standard is guided by four principles: taking women seriously, encouraging questions, treating them as partners in decisions and providing safe pain-management options. Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said women must be heard, believed and treated with respect when seeking care. The inquiry’s survey of 12,792 respondents found that nine-in-ten women experience pain lasting more than a year, with over half living with daily pain that affects recreation, intimate relationships and work. The government will embed the standard throughout Victorian public health facilities.