Improving how strokes are identified in women before they reach hospital could save hundreds of lives and millions in healthcare costs each year, according to new research from Western Sydney University.
The study, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, found that women are 11 percent less likely to be correctly diagnosed with a stroke by emergency medical staff compared to men. Researchers say closing that gap in diagnostic accuracy could deliver both better patient outcomes and substantial savings to the healthcare system.
Lead researcher Associate Professor Lei Si from the university’s School of Health Sciences said the team used a health economic model to estimate the impact of more accurate pre-hospital stroke recognition in women. The results point to potential improvements in both survival and quality of life.
“If we could diagnose strokes in women as accurately as we do in men, the average woman affected would gain around 51 extra days of life and nearly a full month of life in perfect health,” said Associate Professor Si. “From a system-wide perspective, that would amount to over 250 extra life years and more than $5 million in annual healthcare savings.”
The accuracy of early stroke recognition is critical, particularly for patients eligible for treatments such as intravenous thrombolysis (IVT), which must be administered within a tight 60-minute window to be effective. Faster diagnosis improves access to these treatments and reduces long-term disability.
The study highlights that current tools like the FAST acronym—Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, and Time—can miss certain types of strokes, especially those with symptoms more common in women. These include balance problems, visual disturbances, and nausea.
Jordan Springs resident Kelly Ryan was 32 when she suffered a stroke in the posterior part of her brain following a chiropractic session in 2020. Despite showing symptoms including double vision, vomiting, and severe headache, she was initially misdiagnosed with vertigo and a migraine. A CT scan was delayed by six hours, and a correct diagnosis came two weeks later.
“Because I wasn’t FAST positive, my symptoms weren’t taken seriously,” she said. “I was sent home and told to wait for an MRI appointment. If I’d been diagnosed earlier, I might have been eligible for clot-busting medication that could have limited the damage.”
Kelly’s experience is not unique. Researchers say many women across Australia and beyond have reported similar delays in diagnosis, often because they don’t present with textbook symptoms.
The study was conducted by a team from Western Sydney University, UNSW Sydney, and The George Institute for Global Health in both Australia and the UK. The authors argue that adapting current protocols to better reflect the full range of stroke symptoms could not only improve equality in care but ease pressure on an already strained health system.
The findings add weight to ongoing calls for more inclusive clinical guidelines and training to reduce misdiagnosis and improve early intervention outcomes.
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