Hur kvinnor med PCOS upplever sjukvårdspersonalens bemötande : En litteraturstudie

Sammanfattning: Introduction: Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disease in fertile woman. PCOS is a complex chronic heterogenous disease with many different symptoms that can make life difficult for the affected and their relatives. Yet there is a problem regarding the awareness of the disease in both the general public and in the knowledge of healthcare providers. Because of the disease is heterogeneous the treatment must be individual but recent studies indicate that there are problems regarding patient information, diagnosis and support from healthcare providers.   Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate women with PCOS experiences regarding the encounter with healthcare personnel.  Method: Literature review with a descriptive design of twelve articles with qualitative studies from Cinahl and PubMed. All of the articles were reviewed using SBU’s template for qualitative articles. A content analysis in six steps were performed.  Results: Two categories appeared through the data analysis: Negative and positive experiences of the encounter with healthcare personnel. Negative experiences included not being taken seriously, lacking of information, perceived lack of empathy, commitment and knowledge among healthcare personnel. Positive experiences included adequate information and an empathic approach from the healthcare personnel.   Conclusion: Empathy, commitment and adequate information are the three most important aspects regarding a good approach from the healthcare personnel which can improve the treatment of the disease for women with PCOS. To improve the encounter, healthcare personnel need to have more knowledge about the condition and get more time to give information, guiding and to form the relationship between patient and healthcare provider. This would give the healthcare providers the opportunity to live up to the expectations given by the international guidelines regarding PCOS management and assessment.