None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
This project is piloting Shared Medical Appointments (SMAs) — group-based sessions that bring together individual clinical care, education, and peer support — for women with endometriosis at the WSIH MyHealth Integrative Medical Centre in Western Sydney. We will test this program to see how well it works and whether people find it helpful and easy to take part in. What we learn will help us create ongoing group integrative SMAs for women with endometriosis at WSIH MyHealth, including programs tailored to specific cultural groups. It will also help guide similar group programs for other women's health conditions.
Interventions
The intervention is a programmed Shared Medical Appointment program (SMA) at the WSIH Myhealth Integrative Medical Centre at Westmead. The SMAs will include 8-10 participants. It involves six pSMAs (90-120 minutes), delivered face to face to a group of patients by a clinician (general practitioner (GP)) and a facilitator (a degree-qualifed naturopathic practitioner). The individual GP consultations will occur within the group program format. Both practitioners will be trained in SMA facilitation
The intervention is a programmed Shared Medical Appointment program (SMA) at the WSIH Myhealth Integrative Medical Centre at Westmead. The SMAs will include 8-10 participants. It involves six pSMAs (90-120 minutes), delivered face to face to a group of patients by a clinician (general practitioner (GP)) and a facilitator (a degree-qualifed naturopathic practitioner). The individual GP consultations will occur within the group program format. Both practitioners will be trained in SMA facilitation through the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine. The SMA program is based on that piloted by Gardiner et al. (1) and Gerontakis et al. (2) for individuals currently living with endometriosis and consists of six 90 minute programmed Shared Medical Appointments. The content of the program will be reviewed and modified by a steering committee prior to the start of the program. Educational content will include: overall understanding of endometriosis , pain management and importance of lifestyle modifications; healthy eating for endometriosis; sleep quality; and supporting psychological wellbeing. Short home practice activities, for example a 15 min daily yoga routine to reduce chronic pain will be planned for each session. Educational materials will be provided where application eg a video of yoga practice. Adherence to daily activities will be monitored via a checklist at the start of each session. The schedule for the SMA is as follows: Introduction and warm-up (facilitator only) 5 minutes Individual GP consultations 50-60 minutes Structured educational session (facilitator and allied health professional) 30 minutes Home practice review and reflection 5 minutes 1. Gardiner, P., M. Luo, S. D'Amico, K. Gergen-Barnett, L. F. White, R. Saper, S. Mitchell and J. M. Liebschutz (2019). "Effectiveness of integrative medicine group visits in chronic pain and depressive symptoms: A randomized controlled trial." PLoS One 14(12): e0225540. 2. Gerontakos, S., Steel, A., & Wardle, J. (2025). Naturopathic Medicine for Endometriosis (NatME). Results of a pilot study. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7396031/v1
Sponsors
NICM Health Research Institute, University of Western Sydney
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Single group
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Aged 18 years or above A confirmed diagnosis of endometriosis, either via surgery (laparoscopy) or imaging (ultrasound/MRI) Living in Western Sydney Able to read and understand English and provide written informed.
Exclusion criteria
Any medical, psychological, or social condition that, in the opinion of the investigators, would make participation unsafe or place undue burden on the participant. Trying to conceive or currently pregnant. Unable to attend SMAs at Western Sydney Integrative Health (WSIH) Myhealth Medical Centre
Outcome results
None listed