Why doctors need a more man-friendly manner

There are two tough questions GPs need to ask every man who visits them, a leading Adelaide men’s health expert warns.

Dr Daniel Byrne with patient Mike at Chandlers Hill surgery. Picture: Tait Schmaal

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Men do go to the doctors despite conventional wisdom suggesting they shun GPs – but health services need to be more male-friendly to encourage attendance, a leading health expert warns.

Professor Gary Wittert says GPs should ask men two blunt questions – how is their erectile function and do they have toilet trouble at night?

He argues the answers may be clues to far deeper health problems, from heart disease and stroke risk to diabetes, depression, obesity as well obstructive sleep apnoea.

Prof Wittert, an endocrinologist, said ageing, prostate issues or poor testosterone were often wrongly blamed.

He urged men to “man up” and look after their health

The Sunday Mail today launches a campaign to coincide with Men’s Health Week.

Prof Wittert, the director of Adelaide University’s Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men’s Health, has been overseeing a study of 1200 males, aged 35 or older, in the northwestern suburbs since 2002.

Initial results show more than 90 per cent saw their GP in the previous 12 months.

It contrasts other research that indicates men don’t go to GPs for preventive health care, preferring to self-monitor symptoms.

“The conventional wisdom is that men don’t go to doctors — that is just not true,” he said.

“Men diagnosed with an illness that required follow-up checks went as required, that is not an issue. However, over 60 per cent said they were not happy with what took place — their concerns were not being addressed.”

He noted access issues were important in a man deciding if he would visit a doctor, likening it to fishing. “Bloke behaviour is that if a man wakes up and wants to go fishing, we will go fishing — he acts on it,” he said. But if a man can’t access a GP swiftly and easily — similar to going fishing — it becomes a barrier to using the health system.

Life demands such as their family and job will come first in their priorities, Prof Wittert said, meaning they relegate their own health care.

Then, he said, there is the environment at the GP surgery, which may make some men uncomfortable.

“Men simply don’t like to go to a waiting room full of pregnant women and sick kids, with posters for breast cancer and all the magazines are Cleo,” he said.

“There is a strong argument to consider gender in health care delivery.

“It is not that men are not interested in their own health care or that they don’t go to the doctor but certain behaviours of lead organisations in health care doesn’t work with men.

“Bloke behaviour is to get in, get an answer and get out, not to linger, that’s typical of men.”

Prof Wittert observed that men don’t care if it is a male or female doctors — but they do like to be asked about their health and clinicians needs to make it clear they are ready to listen. “Men also value humour to break the tension,” he said.

Prof Wittert took a swipe at some trends to try to feminise men to help with their health care.

“The dogma is that men don’t use health services — which is wrong — and that masculinity is bad and we need to re-educate men to be more like women,” he said.

“But we don’t see masculinity as a problem — it really does have a focus on the care of others such as their family. If they are the provider, the self-reliant stoic, that should in turn translate to seeking good health care as if you don’t look after yourself you cannot fulfil your male responsibilities.

“There are a group of men behaving badly but that’s not masculinity, it is the antithesis of masculinity — but it should not be used to demonise masculinity.”

BE A GOOD SPORT AND VISIT YOUR GP

Doctor Daniel Byrne said he is continually shocked by the reasons men don’t visit a GP.

“I think the biggest reason is that they can’t get around to it or they can’t be bothered,” Dr Byrne, who is a partner at Chandlers Hill Surgery.

It’s usually only the intervention of a third party that prompts a visit, and in some cases, a lifesaving one, according to Dr Byrne.

“If their partner tells them they need to go …. or if someone at the footy club gets prostate cancer.”

His surgery subscribes to men’s magazines, and often plays sport on the waiting room TVs, to encourage more check-ups.

“I usually like when patients tell me the footy score on their way in,” Dr Byrne said.

Dr Byrne said men should be proactive about their health and to at least see a GP once-a-year after they turn 45.

“For the sake of thirty or fifty bucks for a check up … what’s your health worth?” Dr Byrne said.

The lack of caution about issues like bowel screenings is a concern for Dr Byrne, as only 50 per cent of the free test kits for people aged 50-74 are being used. If all of the bowel cancer screens were proactively utlitised, lives would be saved according to Dr Byrne.

“It’s time to do something and get off your bum …we can’t save your life if you don’t do the kit.”

— Dixie Sulda