28.03.17
WHAPPG slams ‘unacceptable’ treatment quality for women’s health problems
The diagnosis and treatment of women’s conditions such as fibroid and endometriosis across the country is “unacceptable” as patients reported not being treated appropriately enough with these issues, a study conducted by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Health (WHAPPG) has revealed.
The APPG surveyed 2,600 women and sent FoIs to hospital trusts to assess the quality of care patients received for these conditions and found that many women experienced poor clinical practices in diagnosing and treating gynaecological conditions.
Fibroids, which are benign tumours of the uterus or womb, and endometriosis, which is a condition that can cause internal bleeding in the lining of the womb, were the main focus of the study.
Just over two-fifths of women (42%) said they were not treated with dignity and respect, whilst 40% of respondents with endometriosis said they had 10 GP appointments or more before they were eventually referred for their condition.
The report read: “Women are not getting the right diagnosis and information about treatments making it extremely difficult for them to decide the best care for themselves.
“If women cannot even get the right diagnosis and information about treatments, how can they possibly decide what is the best care for themselves? Women deserve every opportunity to take control of their own healthcare and this group is striving to empower women so they have this potential.”
It was also found that the information and choices for treatment that women received needed improvement, as 62% of women said they were not satisfied with the information they received about treatment and half with fibroids or endometriosis said they were not fully informed about the short or long-term complications of their treatment.
The APPG also criticised trusts for failing to produce written materials about conditions, as only 16% of women received written information about their symptoms – forcing 67% to get most of their information online.
“The fact that women feel the need to seek further advice and they are not satisfied with the information that professionals give them shows that more needs to be done to empower women so they can make these choices,” the report warned. “Women should be given the full range of information, in a written format, so they are able to make an informed choice.”
RCGP defends doctors
Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Royal College of GPs (RGCP), said that women’s health constituted around a quarter of GP workload and that the college was aware of how painful conditions like endometriosis and fibroids could be to sufferers.
“In the case of endometriosis – the main focus of this report today – although this is a common gynaecological condition, it cannot be diagnosed in primary care as it requires a surgical procedure that must be conducted in secondary care,” Prof Stokes-Lampard said.
“GPs often find themselves in an incredibly difficult position as the symptoms are so broad, and some are similar to other conditions, and so can only refer if they are sure endometriosis might be the underlying cause, or else secondary care would be unable to cope with demand.”
The RGCP chair added that it was “regrettable” how many women the paper showed to have had a negative experience in obtaining a diagnosis for conditions. But she stated that, as the paper recognises, the sample was small and probably not representative of all women’s experiences.
“Nevertheless, all of our patients should be treated with dignity and respect, and we would like them to be assured that whatever their symptoms, and whatever their condition, their GP will always take their condition seriously – and consider any physical, psychological and social factors affecting their health when formulating a treatment plan,” explained Prof Stokes-Lampard.
“Women’s health is a key part of the RCGP curriculum which all GPs must demonstrate competence of in order to practise independently in the UK – and both endometriosis and fibroids are covered in the exams that GP trainees must pass in order to attain MRCGP.”
She also announced that the RGCP had made women’s health a clinical priority for the next year and that it will soon embark on a programme of work to develop resources to support GPs with the treatment and diagnosis of women’s health issues. “We look forward to working with a number of organisations, including the WHAPPG and other medical royal colleges, to inform this project,” she concluded.
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