Cardiovascular disease is the No.1 killer of women. This is largely due to decades of medical bias where women had been excluded from clinical trials. Leaving a 50 year medical gender data gap where the atypical signs of women’s heart attacks have been overlooked. Putting millions of women’s lives at risk. This knowledge gap is even wider in the Gulf region where coverage of the medical misdiagnosis of women's heart attacks are practically zero. Through the Mi[s]diagnosed campaign we were able to expose the medical gender data gap across the region from a real perspective. For the first time, we were able to meaningfully create awareness to combat the gender data gap addressing the misrepresentation of Arabic women in clinical trials. As a result, Mis[s]diagnosed's story is helping Pharma and healthcare companies diversify their clinical trials and ensuring more inclusive treatment innovations via IPG Health's 'Trial for the #ClinicalEquality Initiative'.

Since the 1990s there's been a bit of news to raise awareness of the issue globally. But not enough. And in the Gulf region, the awareness is far less. Making this issue all the more poignant for women in the Arab region, because the medical gender data gap is even wider here and there's a lack of any real government initiatives that help shed light on this gap in knowledge. Also, content approvals from local health authorities such as the Ministry of Health in certain countries in the MENA region are to be sought prior to launching consumer awareness campaigns. Strict guidelines are in place to ensure communications do not instill fear or lean on a negative connotation of a disease while educating the public. So we had to tread carefully while exposing this gap from a real perspective. Our Mis[s]diagnosed campaign was able to open eyes and ears about the mass misdiagnosis throughout the region. Sharing this story with key Arabic women of influence, doctors and HCP's across the Gulf region. This helped us to spread the lesser known signs of women's heart attacks to millions of women across the Middle East. And for the first time, we were able to meaningfully create awareness and combat the gender data gap addressing the misrepresentation of Arabic women in clinical trials. As a result, Mis[s]diagnosed's story is helping Pharma and healthcare companies diversify their clinical trials and ensuring more inclusive treatment innovations via IPG Health's 'Trial for the #ClinicalEquality Initiative'.

Organon's brand purpose is to be 'Here for her health,' with a vision of a 'better and healthier every day for every woman'. So with this in mind, we set about tackling the issue of the mass misdiagnosis of women's heart attacks that's putting millions of women's lives at risk. Our brief was to find out the extent of this issue and to expose a medical gender data gap. Armed with this information we would then create mass awareness of the medical gender data gap and educate women and HCP's across the Gulf region on the severity of this issue and encourage them to share the lesser known signs of women's heart attacks to millions more. This not only would expose the medical gender data gap but also help to close it. Additionally, to encourage more women to share their data in clinical trials to help save their futures.

Gender inequality has created a worrying lack of awareness about women’s cardiovascular health in the Gulf region - so we sent one Arabic woman AKA 'Mis[s]diagnosed' to fix it. She met pharmacists, home call-out nurses, medical professionals, doctors, ER emergency professionals and cardiovascular specialists, across the Gulf region exhibiting the lesser know signs of women's heart attacks. 83% failed to spot the signs. So to deliver a life saving jolt to women and medical professionals across the region, we packaged Mis[s]diagnosed’s research inside specially designed medical Awareness Aid Kits. These kits were sent to key Arabic women of influence, doctors, cardiologists and health care professionals throughout the region who then spread the Mis[s]diagnosed story to millions more. Helping to gain mass awareness of the lesser known signs of women's heart attacks to expose and help close the medical gender data gap.

TA: Arab women, doctors and HCP's in the Gulf region.

Approach:

Phase 1-We asked 4000 Arabic women if they knew the signs of a woman's heart attack – 97.4% didn't know the signs.

Phase 2-We sent one woman aka 'Mis[s]diagnosed' under-cover to meet medical professionals across the region; exhibiting the lesser known signs of female heart attacks - 83% missed her signs.

Phase 3-We packaged the data and her story inside specially designed 'Awareness Aid kits' to expose the medical gender data gap.

Phase 4-Sent the kits to Arabic women of influence, doctors and 100’s of HCP's across the region urging them to share the signs.

Phase 5-Fully integrated awareness campaign through influencers sharing our message to #KnowTheSigns, in addition to social media placements, on-ground HCP events & seminars at teaching hospitals.

Phase 6-Working with 1000’s of companies to encourage women to give us the data to protect their futures.

We sent one Arab woman aka 'Mis[s]diagnosed' under-cover to medical professionals across the region; exhibiting the lesser known signs of women's heart attacks, documenting her journey of misdiagnosis using hidden audio and pinhole cameras. We packaged this story inside specially designed 'Awareness Aid Kits'. And sent these kits to 37 Arab women of influence, 100’s of doctors, cardiologists and HCP’s across the region. Once unboxed, they could listen to Mi[s]diagnosed tell her story and learn about the lesser known signs of women's heart attacks.

They were then encouraged to share her story and spread mass awareness of the lesser known signs to further expose and help close the medical gender data gap. The campaign aired on 29 Sept (World Heart Day) through influencers sharing our message, social media placements, on-ground HCP events & seminars at teaching hospitals. The campaign ran until Jan 16th in Egypt, Kuwait, UAE, Saudi, Lebanon, Bahrain.

Campaigned for free:

3 Teaching hospitals

12 International Heart Foundations/charities

37 Women of influence

100’s of doctors, medical professionals & cardiologists

Campaign reach:

28.7 million now #KnowTheSigns

Campaign impact:

28 million women - Now aware of the early warning signs

+24% Increase in social engagement for Organon

+17% more women - Showed interest in clinical trails (during the month of the campaign)

1 woman’s life saved - Millions more to go #KnowTheSigns

Campaign cost:

$60,000 dollars

To further combat the gender data gap and address the misrepresentation of women in clinical trials, Mis[s]diagnosed's story is helping Pharma and healthcare companies diversify their clinical trials and ensure more inclusive treatment innovations via via IPG Health's 'Trial for the #ClinicalEquality Initiative'.