Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) survey of COVID-19 experiences of women doctors as healthcare providers
Magdalena Simonis, Chair MWIA Scientific and Research Subcommittee
THANK YOU
As chief investigator, and co-Chair of the MWIA Scientific and Research Subcommittee, I would like to thank my co -investigators – Professor Antonella Vezzani (Italy), Professor Magda Carneiro-Sampaio (Brazil) and everyone on the Scientific and Research subcommittee for their input and for helping to disseminate and promote this survey.
This is the first piece of international research of its kind so will hopefully help to fill an important gap in the research on COVID-19 impacts on women doctors.
As with any big piece of work, there are many to thank and this includes the MWIA President, MWIA Secretary General, Executive of MWIA for being supportive and the National Coordinators and all of the respective nations that participated.
The outcome of this will be detailed in presentations to follow and a publication.
MWIA COVID-19 SURVEY SUMMARY
In summary:
- 24 questions in total
- Average time spent – 8 minutes
- 1478 Total responses
- 1110 Fully Completed surveys
- 75% Full Completion Rate
- 51.09% MWIA members
- 48.91% non-members
- 40% working Face-to-face
MWIA COVID-19 QUESTIONS
Other questions looked at:
- Impact COVID-19 had on ability to work
- Impact COVID-19 had on income
- PPE Supplies at onset of COVID-19
- Length of time it took to have access to PPE 1st wave
- PPE fit testing – yes or no and if so when
- Confidence in workplace preparedness to provide adequate supplies of PPE
- Confidence in workplace readiness to deal with subsequent wavs of COVID-19
- Which COVID-19 wave they are in
- Level of education and leadership activity within their communities.
- Direct exposure to COVID-19 patients
- Whether or not they have contracted COVID-19
- Have they been tested for COVID-19
- Measure of wellbeing during this COVID-19
- Challenges faced
- Updates and information – where these came from
- Vaccine readiness and willingness to have it
- Recommendations to better support women doctors in their workplace
Thank you,
A/Professor Magda Simonis
Associate Professor Magdalena Simonis AM is the Immediate Past President of the AFMW (2020-2023), former President of VMWS (2013 & 2017-2020) and current AFMW National Coordinator (2024-2026). She is a full time clinician who also holds positions on several not for profit organisations, driven by her passion for bridging gaps across the health sector. She is a leading women’s health expert, keynote speaker, climate change and gender equity advocate and government advisor.
Magdalena was awarded a lifetime membership of the RACGP for her contributions which include past chair of Women in General Practice, longstanding contribution to the RACGP Expert Committee Quality Care, the RACGP eHealth Expert Committee. She is regularly invited to comment on primary care research though mainstream and medical media and contributes articles on various health issues through newsGP and other publications.
Magdalena has represented the RACGP at senate enquiries and has worked on several National Health Framework reviews. She is author of the RACGP Guide on Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery and co-reviewer of the RACGP Red Book Women’s Health Chapter, and reviewer of the RACGP White book
Both an RACGP examiner and University examiner, she undertakes general practice research and is a GP Educator with the Safer Families Centre of Research Excellence, which develops education tools to assist the primary care sector identify, respond to and manage family violence . Roles outside of RACGP include the Strategy and Policy Committee for Breast Cancer Network Australia, Board Director of the Melbourne University Teaching Health Clinics and the elected GP representative to the AMA Federal Council. In 2022. she was award the AMA (Vic) Patrick Pritzwald-Steggman Award 2022, which celebrates a doctor who has made an exceptional contribution to the wellbeing of their colleagues and the community and was listed as Women’s Agenda 2022 finalist for Emerging Leader in Health.
Magdalena has presented at the United Nations as part of the Australian Assembly and was appointed the Australian representative to the World Health Organisation, World Assembly on COVID 19, by the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) in 2021. In 2023, A/Professor Simonis was included on the King’s COVID-19 Champion’s list and was also awarded a Member (AM) in the General Division for significant service to medicine through a range of roles and to women’s health.
