What makes a chronic pelvic pain patient satisfied?

Abstract

Purpose: Caring for women with chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is challenging. There have been few studies on what factors patients consider to be important when being treated for their pelvic pain. This study sought to identify the key factors of the health care visit that contribute to patient’s overall satisfaction with their care in a CPP clinic.

Materials and methods: Between January 2015 and December 2016, new patients visiting a tertiary care CPP clinic were recruited to complete a patient satisfaction survey. Inductive thematic analysis was performed on response data regarding important factors that impact patient satisfaction with their visit/care.

Results: Five themes of patient satisfaction identified included: providers with a compassionate and caring attitude, being listened to, clear communication with collaboration when needed, quality time spent with patient, and having a plan of care with recommendations. The theme regarding provider’s compassion and listening skills was the most frequently identified. Pain relief was seldom mentioned as a source of patient satisfaction.

Conclusions: The data suggest that a focus on empathic communication may make a meaningful difference in meeting the needs of women with CPP as well as strengthening the provider/patient relationship.

Keywords:

• Chronic pelvic pain
• collaborative clinics
• patient satisfaction
• provider empathy
• thematic analysis
• NP/MD clinic

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Current knowledge on this subject

• CPP can be defined as intermittent or constant, frequently worsening with menstruation and typically is diagnosed after 6 months of chronicity. CPP can be caused by a variety of conditions either alone or in combination with other medical comorbidities. There has been limited research on the topic of patient satisfaction in patients being treated for chronic pelvic pain. There is satisfaction data related to specific procedures and treatments, but data is limited regarding overall patient satisfaction with care and care providers. Existing data include comparative trials between different types of hormonal treatments, injections, physical therapy, and different surgical techniques.

What this study adds

• Our data suggest that a focus on empathic communication may make a meaningful difference to meeting the CPP patients’ needs and strengthening the provider/patient relationship. Pain relief was seldom mentioned as a source of patient satisfaction. Providers should focus on actively listening to patients, providing a caring attitude, spending adequate time and involving the patient in the plan as keys to improving care of women with CPP.