Disclosing the invisible : experiences, outcomes and quality of endometriosis healthcare

• Introduction: Many women with endometriosis report that their symptoms are normalized and trivialized when they seek medical care and they often experience diagnostic delays, ineffective treatments and physiological, psychological and social consequences. However, there is a knowledge gap when it comes to women’s experiences of different aspects of endometriosis healthcare, and the quality of that care. Aim: The aim of this thesis was to identify, describe and analyse the experiences, encounters and outcomes of endometriosis healthcare from different perspectives. Design and Method: This thesis is a summary of four studies with different methods and designs. Study I and II were qualitative interview studies in which nine women with a laparoscopy-verified endometriosis diagnosis (study I) and 25 healthcare professionals (HCPs) (study II) described their experiences of healthcare encounters related to endometriosis symptoms. The interviews were analysed using interpretive phenomenology (study I) and conventional content analysis (study II). Study III was a cross-sectional observational comparative study measuring pain thresholds, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and symptoms of anxiety and depression using quantitative sensory testing (QST) and questionnaires in order to determine pain thresholds in healthy women (n=55) and women with persistent pelvic pain (PPP), with (n=14) and without (n=23) a confirmed diagnosis of endometriosis. The correlations between pain thresholds and duration of PPP, HRQoL and symptoms of anxiety and depression were also analysed. Study IV was a quantitative observational study using register data from the National Quality Register for Gynaecological Surgery. Patient-reported experience measures (PREM) and patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) after benign hysterectomy were analysed and compared in women with and without PPP and endometriosis (study IV). Results: The results of the thesis are summarized in three themes: The struggle to visualize the pain, The endometriosis diagnosis as a key to understanding and enduring persistent pelvic pain and Healthcare encounters as potentially life changing. In the first theme, women and HCPs described the healthcare encounters concerning endometriosis symptoms as troublesome (study I, II). The women struggled with disclosing, visualizing and communicating their hidden pain to the HCPs (study I), and HCPs expressed insecurity and limited knowledge when caring for these women (study II). Study III showed widespread reduced pain thresholds among women with PPP compared with healthy controls, and a significant positive correlation between duration of PPP and reduced pain thresholds . Study III also showed a reduced HRQoL and higher prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms among women with PPP, which were also described by the women (study I).The importance of getting a diagnosis was described in the second theme by both women and HCPs (study I, II), but women with PPP with and without endometriosis diagnosis did not differ significantly in their pain thresholds or psychosocial outcomes in study III. Likewise, women with PPP with and without endometriosis gave more equal PREM and PROM answers than women in the pain-free comparison group. Overall, women undergoing hysterectomy on benign indications were satisfied with the experience and outcomes of the surgery (study IV).As described in the last theme, healthcare encounters could be constructive or destructive. Positive experiences could make the symptoms easier to endure. The constructive encounters were often characterized by a holistic approach and a care structured in multidisciplinary teams. Conclusion and clinical implications: The results suggest that PPP should be taken seriously and treated actively in order to minimize the risk of physiological and psychological consequences, such as reduced pain thresholds, lower HRQoL and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Unrelieved PPP could also be an explanatory factor for long-term physiological consequences, such as lower PREM and PROM after hysterectomy.High-quality endometriosis healthcare should provide an interaction of physical, psychological and social factors. If women experience that HCPs acknowledge their pain and the effect of pain on HRQoL and mental health, and are offered proper pain-relieving treatment, healthcare encounters could change their lives.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Reproduktionsmedicin och gynekologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

endometriosis

persistent pelvic pain

healthcare professionals

healthcare encounters

health-related quality of life

pain thresholds

quantitative sensory testing

central sensitization

hysterectomy

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vet (ämneskategori)

dok (ämneskategori)