How A New App Could Be A Game Changer In Women's Health Care

Despite the fact that women and men have coexisted for thousands upon thousands of years, it's usually the male body that's used for medical anatomy. Elsevier, a medical publishing company headquartered in Amsterdam, is aiming to alleviate this inequality and improve how the human body is perceived.

In January 2022, they added a female model to their Complete Anatomy 3D platform. According to a press release, this new model is "the most advanced 3D full female model ever available" (via NewsDirect). The model has arrived during a time in which inclusion and representation are on a grand stage. Irene Walsh, director of product, design, and content at 3D4Medical from Elsevier told Healthline that the model will offer a new viewpoint in terms of how anatomy is taught in the classroom by providing "the needs that educators are asking for right now" beyond the reproductive aspects of the female body. While this model will definitely enhance the type of education students receive, it can also change the game concerning the type of care women receive.

From the skeletal system and muscles to female-specific areas of the body, being able to pinpoint the differences between the male and female anatomy isn't just beneficial in terms of diversity. The model can actually help improve the health care system as a whole.

According to WebMD, women who suffer from heart disease are twice as likely to be misdiagnosed than men, and 30% more likely to have a stroke misdiagnosed. Other common misdiagnoses women see more often include autoimmune diseases and pain. With a female anatomy model, health care professionals are more likely to be able to understand what's going on and provide a more accurate analysis.

Additionally, Dr. Jecca Steinberg, a medical resident in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine told Northwestern News that a lack of representation in clinical trials is alarming. The lack of representation in cancer and heart disease studies plays a role in cancer and heart disease being among the leading causes of death for women (via Prevention). Dr. Steinberg pointed out that participation in clinical trials opens the door to various treatments and therapies. The female anatomy model can help researchers take including more women in their studies seriously.