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Why Boots and Nurofen are taking on gender pain dismissal at the counter
Nurofen and Boots are training pharmacists to recognise gender bias in pain care, targeting a gap in how women's symptoms are handled at the counter.
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Nurofen has partnered with Boots to train pharmacy staff on how women's pain is routinely dismissed in clinical settings. The initiative, announced Tuesday, aims to change how patients describe symptoms and how pharmacists respond.
Research has long shown that women reporting pain are more likely to be told it is anxiety-related or hormonal, rather than given a physical examination or a painkiller. The partnership puts training directly inside the pharmacy, where many women first seek advice before seeing a GP.
Boots pharmacists will receive a module focused on recognizing the language patients use and how pain perception differs by gender. Nurofen, a Reckitt Benckiser brand, said the program is backed by its own pain research, though the companies did not release specific funding figures.
The move comes as the UK health system faces growing scrutiny over wait times and access to general practitioners. Pharmacies have become a first line of care for minor ailments, placing more pressure on counter staff. A separate survey commissioned by Nurofen found that half of women in the UK had felt their pain was not taken seriously by a health professional, the companies said.