家庭通常都有首席医疗官——而且几乎都是女性
By Laura Williamson, American Heart Association News
在每个家庭中，通常都有一个人负责每个人的医疗保健需求. Who makes sure everyone gets an annual health exam. That they get their teeth cleaned and their prescriptions filled. And that all the insurance claims get filed.
If a child gets sick, this person stays home to care for them. And when an aging parent's health fails, they take on their care as well.
Chances are, this person is a woman.
研究表明，女性——尤其是母亲——承担了大约80%的家庭医疗决策责任. And federal survey data shows 1 in 4 caregivers are women, compared to 1 in 5 men.
Why women?
“我认为女性是家庭中默认的照顾者，因为她们管理所有的后勤和家务," said Dr. 加州大学旧金山分校医学和卫生政策教授格蕾丝·林(Grace Lin)说. "It is natural for medical decision-making to become part of that. 这可能是社会对女性传统管理期望的延续."
Women also use the health care system more than men, so they are more well-versed in navigating it, said Lindsey Miltenberger, chief advocacy officer for the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Society for Women's Health Research.
"Regardless of the why, in today's society, women are no doubt the chief medical officers in the family," she said.
It takes a toll
Being chief medical officer does not come without cost. Studies show caregiving can affect a person's physical and mental health. 它会增加抑郁和焦虑的感觉，导致女性忽视自己的护理.
"There's a saying that you can't pour from an empty cup," Miltenberger said. "If women try to take on too much and try to go it alone, 它会影响他们所照顾的人，也会对他们自己的健康造成损害.
“他们没有足够的沙巴足球体育平台去锻炼、遵循健康饮食或照顾自己的人际关系, all of which are important to a woman's health," she said. "Caregiving also can affect women in an economic sense, 因为这会减少他们的工作沙巴足球体育平台或迫使他们请假."
Shared decision-making encouraged
Over time, the burden of making health care decisions may gradually shift, said Lin, 因为卫生保健专业人员鼓励与患者更多地共同决策. Lin was co-author of a 2023 American Heart Association report that describes the benefits of this process. 该报告鼓励卫生保健专业人员向患者解释各种治疗方案, taking into account the patient's preferences and values, rather than dictating a course of treatment.
"Most things in medicine are not black and white," she said. "There are different risks and benefits for different treatment options, and everybody values those differently."
但林说，当家庭习惯于听从一个人的意见时，共同决策可能会变得复杂.
“我见过一些情况，女性已经习惯了做出所有决定的动态，如果我问病人他们的偏好, they look to the caregiver to see if she disagrees," Lin said.
米尔滕伯格说，家庭需要就如何分担医疗责任进行更多的讨论，这样一个人就不会承担如此沉重的负担. Dads can take on more responsibility for taking children to the doctor, even if it's mom who makes the appointments.
在帮助年长的家庭成员时，分担负担尤为重要, such as a parent, who might not be able to manage their own care, she said.
米尔滕伯格说:“他们必须考虑需要什么，谁能胜任每个角色。. “他们应该考虑如何利用不同家庭成员的优势. 住在附近的兄弟姐妹可以带父母去看医生, 而一个不是本地人的人可以管理付款和审查保险, things that can be done virtually."
年轻的家庭成员应该学会开始承担起照顾自己的责任, as well, Lin said. "We should be, from a young age, taking responsibility for our own health."
米尔滕伯格说，最重要的是，女性“不必自己做所有这些事情."
她说:“他们应该感到有权力向家人和朋友寻求帮助。. “女性需要知道自己的极限，给自己一点优雅，让自己认识到自己可以处理的事情，而不会感到精疲力竭."
Finding credible information to make decisions
Regardless of who's doing the looking, finding credible health information to make decisions can be a challenge. Searching online can turn up a lot of misinformation, so the best place to start is with a health care professional, Lin said.
“作为一名医生，我努力引导我的病人去寻找好的资源，”她说. 虽然她可能会让病人上网获取信息，但她对自己推荐的网站很谨慎.
“在互联网上很难区分可靠的信息来源和不可靠的信息来源，”林说. 她推荐疾病控制和预防中心等政府来源, 美国国立卫生研究院或与医疗机构相关的网站，因为他们有经过仔细审查的信息.
米尔滕伯格建议人们在接受自己的发现之前先考虑一些事情.
"See who the author is," she said. "Does this person have something to gain? Was it fact-checked by a health professional? Who owns the site where the information lives? When was it written or updated? Make sure it is evidence-based information. Even if you find it online, it's best to check with your doctor."