Inquiry into women’s pathways to diagnosis of endometriosis: A qualitative study protocol

Martha Grace Cromeens, Suzanne M. Thoyre, Suzanne Thoyre, Erin T Carey, Kathleen A. Knafl, Kathleen Knafl, Whitney R. Robinson
Journal of advanced nursing · 2020 · vol. 77(2) , pp. 1017–1026 · doi:10.1111/jan.14616 · PMID:33107642 · W3094403463
article OA: green CC0 ⤵ 3 in-corpus citations
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This qualitative study protocol outlines a plan to describe and compare women's experiences and pathways to endometriosis diagnosis using a life course perspective across diverse socioeconomic and racial groups.

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Abstract

AIMS: This protocol describes a study aiming to: (1) describe pathways and experiences of women's symptom recognition, appraisal and management of endometriosis; and (2) identify differences in pathways and experiences among a socioeconomically and racially diverse group of women. DESIGN: Descriptive qualitative study with stratified purposeful sampling. METHODS: Data will be collected from a minimum of 24 women with provider-presumed or surgically confirmed diagnoses across two time points. The study will recruit across socioeconomic status (SES) and race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic/Latina) to ensure diversity of the sample. Recruitment will occur at a large public hospital in the southeastern United States (US). Participants will be interviewed using semi-structured interview guides informed by Elder and Giele's Life Course perspective approaching women as active beings in dynamic systems shaped by: 1) their location in time and space; 2) linked lives; and 3) human agency, and 4) the time of their lives. Each woman's experiences, symptoms, and contacts with health-care systems will be mapped to trace their diagnostic pathways. Coded interviews and data will undergo within- and across-case analysis to identify similarities and differences in their experiences. Institutional review board approval was obtained June 2019. DISCUSSION: The participants' diagnostic maps will enable us to distinguish the differences in pathways and experiences between and across groups. Findings will inform the development of interventions aimed at shortening the time to diagnosis. IMPACT: This will be the first study to compare pathways to diagnosis of endometriosis in a socioeconomically and racially diverse sample of US women using the life course perspective. The results from this research stand to inform future interventions aimed at helping women achieve more timely diagnoses.

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Condition tags

mesh:D004715endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Endometriosis Aged Black or African American Female Humans Qualitative Research United States

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (60)

Cited by (3)

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