In this episode we talk to Dr Sharon Dixon, GP and researcher, at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford. The research was funded by the NIHR School of Primary Care Research.
Paper: Navigating possible endometriosis in primary care: a qualitative study of GP perspectives
https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0030
There are documented time lags between women presenting to primary care with symptoms suggesting endometriosis and receiving a diagnosis. It has been suggested that increasing GPs awareness will improve this situation. As GPs perspectives on these care journeys are not known, how best to educate health professionals to reduce delays in diagnosis is unclear. Even with awareness of the possibility of endometriosis, GP accounts suggest that journeys are complex and can involve navigating significant uncertainties, including when managing women whose symptoms are well controlled with primary care treatment or who do not want to have referral or operative investigation.
