Supporting endometriosis diagnosis and management: What referral pathways exist?

Endometriosis is a chronic condition characterized by pelvic pain and subfertility. Endometriosis affects approximately 10% of women, affecting health and quality of life. The pathway to diagnosis of endometriosis is often difficult but usually commences in primary care with general practitioners (GPs). GPs also play a major role in managing this chronic condition throughout a woman’s reproductive life. GPs face many challenges in the diagnosis and management of endometriosis and may require support from specialists and hospital services. It is currently unclear what support, advice and referral pathways exist nationally. This project includes a review of HealthPathways (an online portal that provides evidence-based information and resources for health practitioners to manage clinical conditions and access referral options) to determine what exists in relation to diagnosing and managing endometriosis. It will utilise a similar methodology to that used in recently published research from our team (Srinivasan S, Botfield JR, Mazza D. Utilising HealthPathways to understand the availability of public abortion in Australia. Aust J Prim Health. 2022 Dec 16. doi: 10.1071/PY22194. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36521168). The data gathered will provide an overview of access options and services available and provide an overview of service gaps. Qualitative interviews with GPs will supplement the quantitative data collected and will be undertaken to explore GP views and experiences of using HealthPathways for endometriosis diagnosis and management. The results will help inform a major project underway within the SPHERE Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) in Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health in Primary Care focused on improving endometriosis management in primary care. The SPHERE CRE is the first dedicated Centre to lead research that is aimed at improving the quality, safety, and capacity of primary health care services to achieve better outcomes in women’s sexual and reproductive health. Students working within SPHERE will be supported by a vibrant research team consisting of Post Docs, PhD students, academic registrars and honours students. They will also have the opportunity to be part of a large, multidisciplinary, collaborative team of investigators, which includes prominent national and international researchers and experts working in women’s health, general practice, pharmacy, nursing, epidemiology, knowledge translation, health economics, and policy development.