Health literacy

Menstrual health literacy is alarmingly low – what you don’t know can harm you

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 13, 2024

When I ask my menstrual health workshop participants – including clinicians – there’s usually a lot of shrugging and shaking of heads.

Key Points: 
  • When I ask my menstrual health workshop participants – including clinicians – there’s usually a lot of shrugging and shaking of heads.
  • If given multiple choice options, most think that periods either “clean the womb” or somehow “help prepare for pregnancy”.
  • Yes, the blood part can stain clothing, but there is nothing pathological, contaminating, or dangerous about periods.

So, why do we have periods?

  • Periods likely evolved as a kind of preemptive abortion, to protect women from unviable or dangerous pregnancies.
  • As a result, we have low rates of conception, high rates of miscarriage, and extremely high rates of maternal mortality in comparison to other mammals.
  • The menstrual cycle is critical for facilitation of the initial steps of this raison d’être of the female reproductive system.
  • The menstrual cycle is critical for facilitation of the initial steps of this raison d’être of the female reproductive system.

What else don’t we know?

  • Perhaps with the fact that the second phase of the cycle from ovulation to menstruation is a series of highly inflammatory processes.
  • This was only very briefly mentioned in three out of 16 textbooks.
  • We really ought to be taught from puberty how to reduce period pain and blood loss – this is not difficult science.

Why aren’t we taught this stuff?

  • My research shows that the exclusive focus on the female sex hormones in menstrual education is informed by societal influences, such as the myth of the hysterical or hormonal female.
  • This gender myth is still alive and well, although now we tend to blame the (female sex) hormones.
  • Again, there was no scientific reason for this change in focus, although it reflected existing societal beliefs about the inherently irrational behaviour of women.
  • Unfortunately, menstrual health literacy has not yet recovered from this shift in physiological models.

So what?

  • It also becomes much easier to differentiate premenstrual changes from underlying health conditions, since the latter will not be substantially alleviated by anti-inflammatory interventions alone.
  • Teaching the reductive hormonal model of the menstrual cycle unintentionally provides pseudo-scientific evidence for the damaging hormonal or hysterical female gender myth.


Sally King is the founder of Menstrual Matters- the world's first evidence-based info hub on menstrual health and rights www.menstrual-matters.com. Her doctoral research and current research fellowship were funded by the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council).

Prevent Cancer Foundation awards $1 million in new research grants

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Alexandria, Va., Feb. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Prevent Cancer Foundation® is pleased to announce new funding for ten scientists who are researching cancer prevention and early detection.

Key Points: 
  • Alexandria, Va., Feb. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Prevent Cancer Foundation® is pleased to announce new funding for ten scientists who are researching cancer prevention and early detection.
  • Read on for more on the 2024 research grantees or access more detailed information on their projects in the researcher database.
  • Having a family history of cancer can affect the age at which cancer screening begins and genetic testing recommendations.
  • To view all past funded research grant and fellowship projects driving these key advancements in cancer prevention and early detection, explore the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s Award Database.

Amwell Expands Presence in Australia with Amplar Health Partnership

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Amplar Health partnered with Amwell to support delivery of its prevention programs to reach more Australians at risk of chronic disease.

Key Points: 
  • Amplar Health partnered with Amwell to support delivery of its prevention programs to reach more Australians at risk of chronic disease.
  • Medibank customers will be the first to benefit from the Amplar Health and Amwell partnership, gaining access to a lifestyle management program that will launch soon.
  • Amplar Health will also be an Australian reseller of Amwell Automated Care and the SilverCloud® by Amwell® platforms and embed the technology in its prevention programs and services.
  • “Through our partnership with Amwell, we’re providing innovative resources and support that can help improve health literacy and facilitate better health outcomes for Australians.

Henry Schein, National Dental Association and Schattner Foundation Present Student Mentoring Program for Aspiring Dental Professionals

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC), National Dental Association (NDA), and Schattner Foundation are pleased to partner and present the S.M.I.L.E.

Key Points: 
  • Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC), National Dental Association (NDA), and Schattner Foundation are pleased to partner and present the S.M.I.L.E.
  • This innovative public-private partnership is designed to mentor and support aspiring healthcare professionals and enhance inclusivity within the dental field.
  • Joining Henry Schein, the NDA, and Schattner Foundation in presenting the 2024 program are the Hispanic Dental Association, the Society of American Indian Dentists, Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry, and the A.T.
  • The program was made possible by a generous grant from the Schattner Foundation and the support of other professional organizations.

FDB and WebMD Ignite Collaborate to Drive Medication Safety and Adherence

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, March 5, 2024

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. and NEW YORK, March 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- FDB (First Databank), the leading provider of drug knowledge that helps healthcare professionals make more precise decisions, and WebMD Ignite, a full-service growth partner for organizations across the healthcare industry, today announced a collaboration to enhance patient discharge education to improve prescription drug safety and adherence. The collaboration also aims to increase patients' health literacy and engagement in care plans.

Key Points: 
  • WebMD Ignite will integrate content from Meducation®, FDB's cloud-based solution that delivers simplified and personalized medication instructions to all patients, into prescribers' electronic health record (EHR) systems and patient portals through WebMD Ignite's Krames On FHIR® platform.
  • Krames On FHIR is the leading patient education platform providing current educational content directly in the patient portal.
  • "Effective patient medication education is critical to improving patient outcomes," said Charles Lee, MD, senior director of clinical knowledge and senior advisor for health literacy and language barriers at FDB.
  • This integration of Meducation with WebMD Ignite's Krames On FHIR platform offers patients of all backgrounds simplified, easy-to-follow, actionable medication instructions, along with other valuable educational content from WebMD Ignite, to help protect their and their family's safety, increase care plan adherence and improve their outcomes."

Henry Schein Cares Foundation Launches ‘Prevention is Power’ Public Health Awareness Campaign

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC) today announced the launch of Prevention is Power™, a multi-year public health awareness campaign from the Henry Schein Cares Foundation, Inc. (HSCF) to help improve health literacy and strengthen patient utilization of integrated, preventive care, with the goal of reducing incidences of chronic diseases as well as overall health care spending.

Key Points: 
  • Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC) today announced the launch of Prevention is Power™, a multi-year public health awareness campaign from the Henry Schein Cares Foundation, Inc. (HSCF) to help improve health literacy and strengthen patient utilization of integrated, preventive care, with the goal of reducing incidences of chronic diseases as well as overall health care spending.
  • Chan School of Public Health, the Commonwealth Fund, and others, despite spending more on health care than any other high-income country, overall health outcomes in the U.S. trail those in its peer countries.
  • It is well established that patient utilization of routine preventive health care leads to better population health outcomes as well as lower overall health care costs.
  • The Gold Foundation, which champions the human connection in health care, is proud to partner with the Henry Schein Cares Foundation to expand access and address health inequities.”
    Dr. Ayman El-Mohandes, Dean of CUNY SPH: “We are thrilled to partner with two impactful organizations, the Henry Schein Cares Foundation and NACHC, in this important work aimed at improving patient outcomes through education and engagement.

Cleerly® Announces CERTAIN Multicenter Clinical Trial Results

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 8, 2024

These results underscore the strong and positive effect of the Cleerly products on clinical utility for patients with suspected coronary artery disease.

Key Points: 
  • These results underscore the strong and positive effect of the Cleerly products on clinical utility for patients with suspected coronary artery disease.
  • In all multicenter and single clinical studies performed to date, Cleerly’s products have consistently demonstrated robust clinical utility, including higher diagnostic accuracy and stronger prognostic risk stratification over such historical tests as nuclear SPECT stress testing and FFRCT2-7.
  • Cleerly’s approach is grounded in science, based on over 10 million images from over 40,000 patients gathered over a 15-year-period in landmark, multi-center clinical trials.
  • Led by a world-class clinical and technical team, Cleerly enhances health literacy for each and every stakeholder in the coronary care pathway.

Healthwise Ranked #1 in Patient Education in 2024 Best in KLAS Report

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 8, 2024

BOISE, Idaho, Feb. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Healthwise, a leader in evidence-based health education, technology, and services, has been ranked No.

Key Points: 
  • BOISE, Idaho, Feb. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Healthwise, a leader in evidence-based health education, technology, and services, has been ranked No.
  • 1 in Patient Education by KLAS Research in the 2024 Best in KLAS report.
  • 1 in Patient Education in the 2024 Best in KLAS report," said Alyson Erwin, Chief Product Officer at Healthwise.
  • Additionally, Healthwise continues to enhance Healthwise Advise® , the FHIR-enabled point of care solution for providers who use Epic, with multilanguage expansion.

Humana Releases Results from Innovative Health Literacy and Healthcare Discrimination Screenings Pilot

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Humana’s screenings analysis marks the first study conducted by a national health plan, focusing on the often overlooked but critical aspects of structural determinants of health, like perceived discrimination and health literacy.

Key Points: 
  • Humana’s screenings analysis marks the first study conducted by a national health plan, focusing on the often overlooked but critical aspects of structural determinants of health, like perceived discrimination and health literacy.
  • The recently conducted pilot by Humana focused on the feasibility of screening newly enrolled Medicare Advantage members for health literacy and perceived healthcare discrimination via a carefully administered telephonic survey.
  • The results revealed varying levels of feasibility for health literacy and perceived healthcare discrimination screenings, with health literacy yielding a higher response rate.
  • Other key findings from the pilot study include:
    Nearly 20% of respondents reported low/ limited health literacy.

BlackDoctor.org Unpacks Relationship between Health and Trust

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 1, 2024

NEW YORK, Feb. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study from BlackDoctor.org (BDO) highlights the complex factors that build and break trust in healthcare among Black communities. Comprised of more than 45 million people in the U.S., Black communities have historically had a complicated, and often painful, relationship with the healthcare system. The BDO Black Community Trust Study uncovers how Black individuals think about trust and their health and identifies ways pharmaceutical and healthcare organizations can best partner with Black community members to meet their needs. The study findings were unveiled to healthcare leaders at the Community Voices in Health Equity Summit, hosted by BDO in collaboration with USA TODAY, Omnicom Health Group (OHG) and Omnicom Public Relations Group (OPRG), including Ketchum. 

Key Points: 
  • The BDO Black Community Trust Study uncovers how Black individuals think about trust and their health and identifies ways pharmaceutical and healthcare organizations can best partner with Black community members to meet their needs.
  • The study also explores what pharma and healthcare companies can do to earn trust and improve the health of Black community members.
  • "Trust is the foundation for health equity strategies, and reaching Blacks in a trustworthy manner, in places they trust, by people they trust must be the lens."
  • "Awareness and collaboration are paramount to improve health and set up our legacy in good health."