Patient satisfaction regarding medical care for endometriosis in Germany: an exploratory cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Endometriosis is a benign chronic gynecological disease in women of reproductive age. However, patient satisfaction with medical care for endometriosis in Germany remains underresearched. Therefore, this study aims to describe the medical care situation from the patient’s perspective and assess their level of satisfaction. Methods This exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted online from July to October 2024 in Germany. A total of 350 adult participants, with confirmed, suspected, or self-assumed endometriosis completed the validated, self-administered Short-Form Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ-18) and an extended version (PSQ-18+) with 15 endometriosis-specific items, scoring between 1 (dissatisfied) and 5 (satisfied). Descriptive analyses summarized sociodemographics, medical care and satisfaction by diagnosis status. Univariate and multiple linear regression analyses adjusted for potential confounders were used to assess the relationships between patient satisfaction and sociodemographics, disease severity and diagnosis delay. All analyses were performed using SAS 9.4. Results Overall patient satisfaction with medical care for endometriosis in Germany was 57.87%. Satisfaction was highest for interpersonal manner (75.14%) and lowest for general aspects (41.34%), with confirmed diagnoses reporting greater satisfaction than self-assumed cases. Fewer days restricted in daily life per month (β=-0.3241, p = 0.0008) and fewer symptoms (β=-0.5782, p < 0.0001) were significantly associated with higher patient satisfaction for PSQ-18 in the univariate analyses. In the multiple analyses, fewer symptoms remained significant (β=-0.4888, p = 0.0001). Similar results were found for PSQ-18+. Conclusions To improve patient satisfaction regarding the medical care for endometriosis in Germany, this study highlights patients’ perspectives, emphasizing the need to reduce diagnostic delays, improve treatment options, and support interdisciplinary, patient-centered approaches.