Does Women's Health Matter?

Abstract

It's an interesting question. I bet a lot of people think that women get the same quality of care as men. The evidence would say something different. I could bore you with data to support this claim, but, with politicians denigrating science and treating evidence as opinion, why bother. Some of us still trust the power of science to transform the way we perceive the world. I wouldn't have taken on the editorship of the Journal of Women's Health Physical Therapy (JWHPT) if I wasn't one of them. Which brings me around to the name change that was voted on from the Section on Women's Health to the Academy of Pelvic Health. I get it. As an emerging clinician in this speciality area, you want to forge your professional identity and establish your “brand.” You may think that identifying yourself as a “Pelvic Health PT” will distinguish you from the pack, grow your practice, and announce to the world what you do professionally. As you promote your distinctive skills, why do your patients/clients trust you? They have confidence in your skills because your practice is based on the best evidence available. Without research to back up your work, you are standing on a house of cards. A name designates who you are and what you are about. At JWHPT, we want to be expansive. We are your bridge to the information you need to help your practice flourish. We want to be the place where all physical therapists look for information, not only about pelvic health, but also for all aspects of women's health. We choose to keep our name to help correct the underrepresentation of health care research on women. For the continued progress of the journal, we need to keep the scope of the journal open to new avenues of research while providing you with the evidence to advance your practice. The Section on Women's Health, that will officially become the Academy of Pelvic Health, has always been helpful to those new to this area of PT with continuing education, residencies, and specialty certification. All of this support has been terrific at facilitating specialty practice and entrepreneurship. I am truly grateful for the continued backing from the section/academy for the success of this journal. Yet, I challenge the transition to the Academy of Pelvic Health to make research and scholarship on par with their support of practice. Each and every member of the Academy has an opportunity to promote scholarship. What can you, as a clinician, do? Include JWHPT in your social media posts. Invite those who are involved in research to submit their work to us because the JWHPT has wide-ranging, engaged readership. Research published here will be noticed and used by enthusiastic clinicians. Most importantly, read; read and tell people what you are reading and why. The articles included in this volume represent some of these sweeping interests. Dr Hafer et al examine gait biomechanics in postpartum runners. A systematic review of risk factors for postpartum pelvic girdle pain is provided by Dr Christopher et al. Dr Bussey and colleagues present an in-depth case on posture and balance following TRAM flap breast reconstruction in a breast cancer survivor. Dr Russell and associates provide a meta-analysis on the use of yoga in women with chronic pelvic pain. What do these articles have in common? They share a contribution to a better understanding of health care for women. If you ask me, women's health does still matter. This was powerfully expressed by the former first lady, Michelle Obama, as she spoke at the Elizabeth G. Anderson School in 2009. Communities and countries and ultimately the world are only as strong as the health of their women ....1 —Cynthia M. Chiarello, PT, PhD Editor-in-Chief