How confident are Australian healthcare practitioners when it comes to chronic pelvic pain?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-09-16 00:01

Australia; NSW; WA

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Australian GPs and gynaecologists often lack confidence in their own knowledge when it comes to assisting a patient with chronic pelvic pain, according to a survey of 446 healthcare practitioners, also including physiotherapists. Australian researchers asked the three types of practitioners about their beliefs when it came to chronic pelvic pain - including what causes it, how to manage it, and how confident they were in their knowledge. The researchers say while all three groups showed a good understanding of how chronic pain likely develops and their approach to managing it was in line with current guidelines, 57.8% of physios, 41.3% of gynaecologists and 22.3% of GPs reported high levels of confidence in managing patients with chronic pelvic pain. GPs and gynaecologists were less likely to consider patient beliefs and goals, the researchers add, which they say should be addressed as part of greater education for all three types of practitioners to improve their skills and confidence in managing the condition.