Beyond the numbers—understanding women’s experiences of accessing care for abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB): a qualitative study

Objective To gain a deeper understanding of women’s experiences of accessing care for abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) in order to inform future strategies to improve care pathways, including the early detection of endometrial cancer.Design We conducted semistructured interviews with 15 women who att...

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Main Authors: Claire Henry, Sara Filoche, Regina Jefferies, Alec Ekeroma
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2020-11-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/11/e041853.full
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spelling doaj-d43fa4df129f48d98724e191b71e20ed2021-06-25T12:36:01ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552020-11-01101110.1136/bmjopen-2020-041853Beyond the numbers—understanding women’s experiences of accessing care for abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB): a qualitative studyClaire Henry0Sara Filoche1Regina Jefferies2Alec Ekeroma3Hospice UK, London, UKObstetrics, Gynaecology and Women's Health, University of Otago, Wellington, New ZealandObstetrics, Gynaecology and Women's Health, University of Otago, Wellington, New ZealandNational University of Samoa, Apia, SamoaObjective To gain a deeper understanding of women’s experiences of accessing care for abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) in order to inform future strategies to improve care pathways, including the early detection of endometrial cancer.Design We conducted semistructured interviews with 15 women who attended their first gynaecological specialist consultation for AUB at Wellington Regional Hospital between October and December 2019. Inductive thematic analysis was used to explore experiences and barriers to seeking care.Results The median age of the participant cohort was 45 years, with women self-identifying as New Zealand European (9/15), Māori (2/15) and Pasifika (4/15). All women had sought investigation for their AUB in primary care, for some women this was over a timeframe of many years. For all women, AUB had a significant and traumatic impact on their quality of life including their relationships and their work or education. Women described how they felt they often received inadequate care for AUB, and reported negative experiences with their general practitioner. Timely access was further compounded by feelings of embarrassment and that AUB was a taboo subject, and being able to discuss it with family, friends and their general practitioners was difficult.Conclusion Women in our cohort experienced a multitude of compounding influences that acted as barriers to them having access to appropriate and timely care. Information campaigns that create awareness around ‘abnormal periods’ alongside better health provider practice guidelines for AUB investigation need to be a priority.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/11/e041853.full
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Claire Henry
Sara Filoche
Regina Jefferies
Alec Ekeroma
spellingShingle Claire Henry
Sara Filoche
Regina Jefferies
Alec Ekeroma
Beyond the numbers—understanding women’s experiences of accessing care for abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB): a qualitative study
BMJ Open
author_facet Claire Henry
Sara Filoche
Regina Jefferies
Alec Ekeroma
author_sort Claire Henry
title Beyond the numbers—understanding women’s experiences of accessing care for abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB): a qualitative study
title_short Beyond the numbers—understanding women’s experiences of accessing care for abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB): a qualitative study
title_full Beyond the numbers—understanding women’s experiences of accessing care for abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB): a qualitative study
title_fullStr Beyond the numbers—understanding women’s experiences of accessing care for abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB): a qualitative study
title_full_unstemmed Beyond the numbers—understanding women’s experiences of accessing care for abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB): a qualitative study
title_sort beyond the numbers—understanding women’s experiences of accessing care for abnormal uterine bleeding (aub): a qualitative study
publisher BMJ Publishing Group
series BMJ Open
issn 2044-6055
publishDate 2020-11-01
description Objective To gain a deeper understanding of women’s experiences of accessing care for abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) in order to inform future strategies to improve care pathways, including the early detection of endometrial cancer.Design We conducted semistructured interviews with 15 women who attended their first gynaecological specialist consultation for AUB at Wellington Regional Hospital between October and December 2019. Inductive thematic analysis was used to explore experiences and barriers to seeking care.Results The median age of the participant cohort was 45 years, with women self-identifying as New Zealand European (9/15), Māori (2/15) and Pasifika (4/15). All women had sought investigation for their AUB in primary care, for some women this was over a timeframe of many years. For all women, AUB had a significant and traumatic impact on their quality of life including their relationships and their work or education. Women described how they felt they often received inadequate care for AUB, and reported negative experiences with their general practitioner. Timely access was further compounded by feelings of embarrassment and that AUB was a taboo subject, and being able to discuss it with family, friends and their general practitioners was difficult.Conclusion Women in our cohort experienced a multitude of compounding influences that acted as barriers to them having access to appropriate and timely care. Information campaigns that create awareness around ‘abnormal periods’ alongside better health provider practice guidelines for AUB investigation need to be a priority.
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/11/e041853.full
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