AI Summary & Key Takeaways
AI InsightSuch an approach can make the health system more equitable and help people get diagnosed earlier.
📌 3 Key Takeaways
Abstract
Primary healthcare is considered equitable, economical, and widely accessible in the maintenance of preventive health services. In the past, preventive services have largely focused on the health needs of women and children, leading to significant improvements in public health. However, this structure has relegated men's regular access to preventive services to a secondary priority. This narrative review aims to highlight the structural inequalities between women-centered and men-centered preventive care provided in primary healthcare settings. A narrative review was prepared based on a literature search using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. International policy documents and reports from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and European health organizations were also examined. Conclusion: The literature shows that preventive services for women are generally standardized, performance-oriented, and integrated into regular follow-up systems, while preventive services for men are predominantly opportunistic and symptom-focused. Recent studies link this inequality to delayed diagnosis, reduced continuity of care, and decreased participation of men in preventive health services. To achieve gender equality in preventive primary healthcare, it is necessary to build upon the progress made in women's health while simultaneously creating organized preventive service packages and performance metrics for men. Such an approach can make the health system more equitable and help people get diagnosed earlier.
Özet
Primary healthcare is considered equitable, economical, and widely accessible in the maintenance of preventive health services. In the past, preventive services have largely focused on the health needs of women and children, leading to significant improvements in public health. However, this structure has relegated men's regular access to preventive services to a secondary priority. This narrative review aims to highlight the structural inequalities between women-centered and men-centered preventive care provided in primary healthcare settings. A narrative review was prepared based on a literature search using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. International policy documents and reports from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and European health organizations were also examined. Conclusion: The literature shows that preventive services for women are generally standardized, performance-oriented, and integrated into regular follow-up systems, while preventive services for men are predominantly opportunistic and symptom-focused. Recent studies link this inequality to delayed diagnosis, reduced continuity of care, and decreased participation of men in preventive health services. To achieve gender equality in preventive primary healthcare, it is necessary to build upon the progress made in women's health while simultaneously creating organized preventive service packages and performance metrics for men. Such an approach can make the health system more equitable and help people get diagnosed earlier.