Effect of Instructional Supportive Guidelines on Quality of Life among Women with Endometriosis

Endometriosis is a complex disorder characterized by pain and infertility that, if not treated properly, can compromise the patient’s quality of life and the health significantly. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of instructional supportive guidelines on quality of life among women with endometriosis. Design: A quasi-experimental research design (non–equivalent group design) was utilized. Sample: A convenience sample of 100 women diagnosed with endometriosis. Settings: The study was conducted at Obstetrics and Gynecology outpatient clinics affiliated to Menoufia University Hospital and Shebin El-Kom Teaching Hospital. Instruments: A structured interviewing questionnaire, numerical rating scale and endometriosis health profile questionnaire. Results: There was a highly statistically significant difference in total knowledge scores regarding the endometriosis and the instructional supportive guidelines of care after implementing the guidelines between the study and the control groups. Also, there was a highly statistically significant decrease in the intensity of endometriosis related pain in the study group compared to the control group. The mean scores of total endometriosis health profile showed impaired quality of life in the both groups before the intervention (p ˃ 0.05). At one and two months after the instructional supportive guidelines implementation, the mean total score of endometriosis health profile was significantly lowered in the study group compared to the control group which means an improvement on woman's quality of life. Conclusion: The instructional supportive guidelines resulted in a highly statistically significant increase in the total knowledge scores, decrease in the intensity of endometriosis related pain symptoms. Also, there was a highly statistically significant improvement in all aspects of woman's quality of life in the study group compared to the control group. Recommendations: providing health educational programs for women with endometriosis to improve their quality of life and increase their awareness regarding the guidelines to decrease the endometriosis-related pain symptoms is necessary. Also, performing regular follow up to evaluate the health related quality of life and to detect any health problems early is recommended.