OBJECTIVE: To describe the attitudes that women with chronic pelvic pain (CPP) attending gynaecology clinics have to their consultations and to determine the ways in which their health care can be improved. DESIGN: Qualitative study using semistructured individual interviews. SETTING: UK gynaecology outpatient clinics in district general and teaching hospitals. SAMPLE: Twenty-six women with CPP. METHODS: Semistructured individual interviews were conducted. Data gathering and analysis followed a grounded theory approach. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Women's wishes regarding their care and their actual experiences of care. RESULTS: Four main themes emerged. The women wanted (a) personal care, which they often did not receive; (b) to feel understood and to be taken seriously, although they often felt dismissed, which applied both to women with and without an explanation for their pain; (c) explanation as much as cure, but an adequate explanation was often not provided; and (d) to be reassured, which often they were not. Effective reassurance was complex as it included general reassurance and specific reassurance about cause and treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Improvements are needed in the outpatient care of women presenting with CPP. Changes should focus on providing more personal care, so that presenting problems are seen to be taken seriously, findings and management are appropriately explained, and women are more effectively reassured. Interventions need to be developed that meet these needs and tested to determine if they are feasible, acceptable, and improve outcomes.
OBJECTIVE: To describe the attitudes that women with chronic pelvic pain (CPP) attending gynaecology clinics have to their consultations and to determine the ways in which their health care can be improved. DESIGN: Qualitative study using semistructured individual interviews. SETTING: UK gynaecology outpatient clinics in district general and teaching hospitals. SAMPLE: Twenty-six women with CPP. METHODS: Semistructured individual interviews were conducted. Data gathering and analysis followed a grounded theory approach. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Women's wishes regarding their care and their actual experiences of care. RESULTS: Four main themes emerged. The women wanted (a) personal care, which they often did not receive; (b) to feel understood and to be taken seriously, although they often felt dismissed, which applied both to women with and without an explanation for their pain; (c) explanation as much as cure, but an adequate explanation was often not provided; and (d) to be reassured, which often they were not. Effective reassurance was complex as it included general reassurance and specific reassurance about cause and treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Improvements are needed in the outpatient care of women presenting with CPP. Changes should focus on providing more personal care, so that presenting problems are seen to be taken seriously, findings and management are appropriately explained, and women are more effectively reassured. Interventions need to be developed that meet these needs and tested to determine if they are feasible, acceptable, and improve outcomes.
Authors: Andrew Paul Baranowski; Anna L Mandeville; Sarah Edwards; Suzanne Brook; Julia Cambitzi; Melissa Cohen Journal: World J Urol Date: 2013-05-09 Impact factor: 4.226
Authors: Lisa Conboy; Julie Krol; Jose Tomas; Gloria Y Yeh; Peter Wayne; Elana Salmoirago-Blotcher Journal: BMJ Support Palliat Care Date: 2019-04-04 Impact factor: 3.568
Authors: Bethany Butzer; Amanda Marie LoRusso; Regina Windsor; Frankye Riley; Kate Frame; Sat Bir S Khalsa; Lisa Conboy Journal: Adv Sch Ment Health Promot Date: 2017-05-14