Advancing women's healthcare: Personalisation and empowerment

For International Women’s Day, Tim Simpson, general manager Hologic UK & Ireland and Sarah Smith, Hologic GSS senior manager, field marketing EMEA, explains that leveraging technology can help put women’s needs at the heart of healthcare.

In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, women’s needs, preferences, and opinions have increasingly held more weight, but there is still work to do. Now more than ever, women seek control, immediate results, and accessible advice when it comes to their health and wellbeing. New technologies can help to support women’s changing needs and improve health outcomes, but we must recognise that women's unique health needs require targeted solutions.

Recognising gender specific healthcare needs

Women navigate distinct life stages, each with its challenges and health considerations. In earlier life, they face the onset of puberty, when hormonal fluctuations impact mood, energy levels, and overall wellbeing, to attending cervical cancer screenings—an experience that carries both physical and emotional weight. The path continues through fertility, pregnancy, and the postpartum period, again with their unique hurdles. Then there’s breast cancer screening from 50, and let’s not overlook the transformative pre- to post-menopausal phase. Throughout this intricate journey, a woman’s body constantly evolves, demanding personalised care that recognises her individual needs. When women have a say in their healthcare decisions, they become partners in their own wellbeing.

Historically, healthcare and medical research predominantly involved male participants and focused on the diagnosis and management specific conditions. While this approach has yielded notable advancements, it falls short in addressing the multifaceted needs and understanding of female-specific conditions. Comprehensive research and data specifically on women’s health issues is vital for understanding women’s needs, preferences, risks and disparities – and therefore needs to be a priority. 

Treating the women rather than the condition

Gone are the days when generic diagnosis and treatment plans sufficed. By tailoring healthcare, we can enhance efficiency for healthcare professionals as well as minimise recalls, adverse effects and overall improve outcomes for women.

To support advancing women’s healthcare and making personalised care a reality, cutting-edge technology plays a pivotal role. For example, in the UK there are two well-establishment national screening programmes for cervical and breast cancer, but some optimisations can be made to help drive personalisation. Traditional 2D mammography is used for detecting breast lesions, however it has limitations, especially in detecting dense breast tissue. Identifying women with increased breast density, which is a higher risk factor, should be a priority and protocols for this cohort should be developed to ensure they are seen more frequently. Therefore, using technology such as tomosynthesis (3D mammography) for breast cancer screening would help provide the reassurance that women deserve. Tomosynthesis detects up to 65% more invasive breast cancers, when compared to traditional 2D mammography alone.

Additionally, achieving the NHS goal of eliminating cervical cancer by 2040 requires a multifaceted approach that combines efficient screening efforts with advanced technology and convenient vaccination outreach. Advanced technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) has the ability to improve cervical cancer screening programmes, as it can enhance accuracy and efficiency of diagnosis. This will ultimately lead to earlier treatment and thus better patient outcomes. For example, digital cytology is a deep learning-based AI algorithm with advanced volumetric imaging technology to identify pre-cancerous lesions and cervical cancer cells. Using AI to review diagnostic material more efficiently, enables cytotechnologists and pathologists to increase their efficiency without compromising accuracy. Women benefit from more accurate results, fewer recalls, and timely interventions.

We understand that reshaping the healthcare system to truly put women at the heart is not an easy task. However, by leveraging technology effectively and embracing personalised healthcare, we can ensure women’s unique needs are met while also empowering them to take charge of their wellbeing. Women are the cornerstone of families, communities, and economies, and by prioritising their needs, we all win.