Transvaginal mesh, gender and the ethics of clinical innovation.
Miriam WiersmaIan KerridgeWendy LipworthPublished in: Internal medicine journal (2021)
On 10 October 2018, Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt issued a national apology to the Australian women who experienced 'horrific outcomes' following surgery using transvaginal mesh-acknowledging the 'historic agony and pain that has come from mesh implantation'. This apology followed many decades of 'innovative' use of transvaginal mesh for the treatment of pelvic organ prolapse. We use the case of transvaginal mesh to explore how clinical innovation may not only harm patients, but also entrench vulnerability and exacerbate existing inequities-in this case, those relating to gender.
Keyphrases
- end stage renal disease
- public health
- mental health
- chronic kidney disease
- ejection fraction
- minimally invasive
- newly diagnosed
- chronic pain
- peritoneal dialysis
- pregnant women
- quality improvement
- pain management
- big data
- type diabetes
- health information
- risk assessment
- acute coronary syndrome
- percutaneous coronary intervention
- skeletal muscle
- human health
- smoking cessation