International best practice tells us that one of the key ways to improve men's access to healthcare is by developing male-friendly services. This was acknowledged in Australia’s first National Male Health Policy, which called on all health professionals to “make their practices more male-friendly.”

International best practice tells us that one of the key ways to improve men's access to healthcare is by developing male-friendly services. But what is a male-friendly service?

Clearly, there is no one-size-fits-all-approach that will work for all men and boys. There are differences between groups of men, as well as differences within individual men themselves that need to be taken into account. 

Australia's men's health sector is a world leader in developing innovative, male-friendly approaches to engaging men in health services. This report honours that tradition and identifies some of the key characteristics that are common to health initiatives that work for men, both in Australia and overseas. 

There are many different ways to develop male-friendly services. The 10-step-guide provides anyone who is committed to improving the lives and health of men and boys with a set of tried and tested principles that can be applied universally to a general population of men as well as being tailored to the diverse needs and preferences of different populations across Australia. 

DOWNLOAD: MAKING SERVICES WORK FOR MEN. A 10-step guide to developing male-friendly health services

DOWNLOAD: MALE-FRIENDLY SERVICES POSTER

Sometimes, the obvious just gets overlooked.

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