Health seeking behaviours and treatments received by Australian women with vulvodynia: A cross‐sectional survey
Autor: | Alice Mitchell, Mike Armout, K Jane Chalmers |
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Rok vydání: | 2021 |
Předmět: |
Adult
medicine.medical_specialty Adolescent Vulvodynia Cross-sectional study Psychological intervention Health administration Quality of life (healthcare) medicine Humans business.industry Pelvic pain Vulvar vestibulitis Australia Obstetrics and Gynecology General Medicine Patient Acceptance of Health Care medicine.disease Cross-Sectional Studies Family medicine Quality of Life Etiology Female medicine.symptom business |
Zdroj: | Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 61:927-933 |
ISSN: | 1479-828X 0004-8666 |
DOI: | 10.1111/ajo.13423 |
Popis: | Background: Vulvodynia is a condition characterised by pain in the vulva lasting more than three months and for which no obvious aetiology can be found. It affects around 8% of women and has significant negative impacts on quality of life. There is a paucity of research on healthcare management pathways and the use of evidence-based treatments in an Australian community setting. Aims: To explore which healthcare professionals Australian women with vulvodynia seek treatment from, and which treatments are recommended, provided, or prescribed by these healthcare professionals.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from May 2019 to August 2019. Women were eligible to participate if they had been diagnosed with vulvodynia by a healthcare professional, were currently living in Australia, and were over 18 years old.Results: Fifty respondents meet the inclusion criteria, with a mean age of 30.5 years. On average, respondents reported seeing four different types of healthcare professionals in the management of their vulvodynia, with general practitioners (GPs) (98%), medical specialists (96%), and physiotherapists (80%) being the three most commonly consulted. Most respondents reported seeing multiple GPs (>87%), multiple medical specialists (>77%), and multiple physiotherapists (50%). The most commonly prescribed interventions were pelvic floor down-training exercises (76%), topical (70%) and oral (70%) medication, and vulvodynia information (56%).Conclusions: Australian women with vulvodynia seek help from several professionals and receive a variety of treatments for their pain. Of concern is many treatments that are being offered clinically have very little peer-reviewed evidence of effectiveness in vulvodynia. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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