Endometriosis
Conditions
Keywords
Women's Health, Chronic Pelvic Pain, Endometriosis, Patient Navigation, Delivery of Health Care, Healthcare Access, Pelvic Health
Brief summary
This is a mixed-methods study aimed to generate new evidence to help optimize access to pelvic health physiotherapy (PHPT) for women living with endometriosis in the province of Quebec (Canada). Specifically, the objectives are to: Obj. 1: Understand the patient journey of women living with endometriosis, including their experiences accessing PHPT. Obj. 2: Describe current PHPT clinical practices and service delivery for women living with endometriosis in Quebec. Obj. 3: Identify barriers, facilitators and potential strategies to improve access to PHPT services and optimize the patient journey of women living with endometriosis in Quebec. Findings will inform clinical, organizational and policy recommendations to strengthen the integration of PHPT within multidisciplinary endometriosis care. The project is divided into three sequential parts: Part 1: Semi-structured individual interviews (open-ended questions) will be conducted with women living with endometriosis to explore their journey to obtain endometriosis care, experiences accessing PHPT and perceived barriers and facilitators. Approximately 15-20 participants will be recruited until data saturation is reached. Part 2: An online cross-sectional survey will be conducted among pelvic health physiotherapists practicing in the province of Quebec, Canada to describe current clinical practices, service delivery and challenges related to the management of women living with endometriosis. The minimum expected sample size is 225 physiotherapists . Part 3: Semi-structured focus groups (open-ended questions) will be conducted with women living with endometriosis, pelvic health physiotherapists, physicians and healthcare managers to identify and prioritize strategies to improve access to PHPT services. Approximately 24-32 participants will be recruited across four focus groups. Across all three parts, recruitment strategies will aim to ensure diversity in participant characteristics, including geographic region, sociodemographic characteristics and healthcare experiences, to capture a broad range of perspectives.
Detailed description
This study uses a mixed-methods design consisting of three complementary components: (1) qualitative semi-structured interviews, (2) a cross-sectional online survey, and (3) qualitative focus groups.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
Université de Sherbrooke
Réseau Québécois de Recherche sur la Douleur (RQRD)
Association Québécoise de la Physiothérapie (AQP)
Study design
Observational model
OTHER
Time perspective
CROSS_SECTIONAL
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to 45 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
(part 1): * Female (biological sex at birth) * Aged between 18 and 45 years old * Residing in the province of Quebec, Canada * Able to speak and understand French * Has a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of endometriosis Inclusion Criteria (part 2): * Licensed physiotherapist authorized to practice pelvic health physiotherapy in Quebec, Canada * Currently practicing in the province of Quebec, Canada * Provides pelvic health physiotherapy services to women experiencing symptoms associated with endometriosis Inclusion Criteria (part 3): Women living with endometriosis: * Female (biological sex at birth) * Aged between 18 and 45 years old * Residing in the province of Quebec, Canada * Able to speak and understand French * Has a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of endometriosis Healthcare providers/managers: \- Has experience providing, coordinating, organizing or managing care for women with confirmed or suspected endometriosis in the province of Quebec, Canada
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Patient journey and experiences of women living with endometriosis | Baseline | Patient journey, healthcare experiences and use of pelvic health physiotherapy will be explored through semi-structured individual interviews with women living with endometriosis. |
| Barriers to accessing pelvic health physiotherapy | Baseline | Assessed through the online survey, semi-structured individual interviews and group discussion with patients living with endometriosis, healthcare providers and healthcare managers. |
| Facilitators to accessing pelvic health physiotherapy | Baseline | Assessed through the online survey, semi-structured individual interviews and group discussion with patients living with endometriosis, healthcare providers and healthcare managers. |
| Pelvic health physiotherapy clinical practices and service delivery | Baseline | Assessed through the online survey. |
| Recommendations to improve access to pelvic health physiotherapy | Baseline | Assessed through the online survey and focus group discussion with patients, healthcare providers and healthcare managers. |
Countries
Canada
Contacts
CONTACTRose-Marie Bourget, PT, Master's student
CONTACTCamille Simard, MSc
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORMélanie Morin, PhD, PT
Full professor, Researcher, Director of the Pelvic Health Research Laboratory, Canada Research Chair in Women's pelvic health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sherbrooke and Research Centre of the CHUS
Outcome results
None listed