{"paper_id":"35a466a2-a605-4a2b-8eb3-99251c516eef","body_text":"Submission Id: 3533 \nTitle \nCan a patient questionnaire together with staff education increase diagnostics of \nendometriosis in primary care? \nPriority 1 (Research Category) \nPopulation health and epidemiology \nPresenters \nCarl Wikberg, PhD \n \nAbstract \nContext: \nEndometriosis is an estrogen-dependent, benign, chronic inflammatory disease, characterised by \nendometrial-like tissue outside of the uterus. Due to diagnostic difficulties, women with endometriosis \nusually have symptoms for many years (6-12 years) before receiving a diagnosis \nObjective:  \nTo evaluate if a brief educational intervention for primary health care staff regarding endometriosis \ngives sustainable knowledge of endometriosis symptoms and if a brief questionnaire for women seeking \ncare for common symptoms is feasible in the Swedish primary care context. \nStudy Design and Analysis: \nPilot study exploring knowledge among staff about endometriosis at baseline and 3 months after an \ninformation workshop at 3 primary care centres (PCCs). Evaluation of feasibility of a brief questionnaire \nfor women seeking care for common symptoms For PCC personnel: knowledge about endometriosis at \nbaseline and after 3 months. For patient questionnaire: whether adequate, understandable, acceptable, \nand feasible. \nStandard statistical methods were used for descriptive statistics. Continuous variables were analysed by \nindependent-samples t-test and categorical variables or frequencies by Pearson chi-square test.  \nSetting: Three rural Primary care centres in Sweden \nPopulation: Primary care centre staff, and women aged between 18-65 in primary care waiting rooms.  \nIntervention/Instrument: \nA brief educational lecture to staff members.  \n\nQuestionnaire about common symptoms and feasibility of the questionnaire itself. \nOutcome measure:  \nQuestionnaire for staff members at baseline and after 3 months. \nPatient questionnaire and patients’ perceptions of patient questionnaire at baseline. \nResults:  \nStaff members at baseline (n=43) and staff members at 3 months (n=55). Further, female patients \n(n=106) aged 13-58 in the primary care centre waiting room. The knowledge level of endometriosis was \nimproved or sustained after 3 months compared to baseline among staff at PCCs. Over 90% of the \npatients stated that the questionnaire was adequate, understandable, acceptable, and feasible. \nConclusion: We found that an educational programme improved the staff’s knowledge about \nendometriosis. The programme together with the patient questionnaire could be a way to enhance \nknowledge about endometriosis among PCCs. This combined effort might facilitate earlier detection and \ntreatment of women with endometriosis.","source_license":"CC0","license_restricted":false}