Making the most of consultations with male patients

By most measures, the health of Australian males is poorer than the health of females:

• “In 2024, after adjusting for different age structures, males experienced 1.2 times the rate of total burden [of disease] and 1.6 times the rate of fatal burden of females” - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW)

• “In Australia, a male born in 2021–2023 can expect to live to 81.1 years and a female to 85.1 years” - Australian Bureau of Statistics

• “For males born in 2024 (the most recent estimates), HALE [years of life expected in good health] was 71.7 years and for females it was 73.8 years” - AIHW

Men’s relative health disadvantage is due to a variety of factors, including:

• Their biology

• Their behaviour

• Socioeconomic factors

• Use of health services

Medicare-subsidised GP, allied health and specialist health care across local areas services fewer male than female patients, provides fewer services to males than females, and has lower overall and per-patient billings for male patients than females (AIHW data).

To “strengthen the capacity of the health system to provide quality care for all men and boys” is one of 3 strategic objectives of the Australian National Men’s Health Strategy 2020-2030, with 3 identified ‘action areas’ for its achievement:

1. Improve the knowledge and capability of the health workforce to deliver holistic male-centred services across the life course

2. Engage with men and boys to identify and reduce barriers to health system access

3. Proactively engage men and boys in prevention and early detection activities

This webinar draws on decades of experience and presents new perspectives on providing health care services to Australian men.

This is a Medcast Continuing Medical Education (CME) course.