Abstract
Objectives
Uterine adenomyosis is a common gynaecological disease that can be debilitating. It is poorly understood and may be overlooked in clinical settings. A research gap exists as there are currently no published scoping reviews on perceptions and experiences early in the illness course. As part of a professional doctorate thesis the aim of this review is to systematically retrieve and describe available literature, exploring the impact of living with adenomyosis and perceptions of the diagnostic journey.
Design
A scoping review is conducted, using JBI methodology.
Data Sources
Medline, CINAHL Plus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Cochrane library, JBI and PROSPERO data bases, EThOS online and Google. Searches were made from database inception to July 2023.
Eligibility Criteria
The characteristics of evidence sourced were deliberately broad. Studies exploring experiences and perceptions of women diagnosed with adenomyosis, were considered.
Data Extraction and Synthesis
Titles and abstracts were initially screened. Subsequently, eligibility was clarified through methods section inspection and remaining studies were read in depth. A manual hand-search of references of selected studies was conducted. Prespecified data were extracted, charted, and categorised into themes.
Results
Six eligible studies were found, with themes describing impact and burdens, as well as several categories of unsupported needs. No studies specifically focussed on perceptions of the diagnostic journey, but some eligible studies made minor reference to this and are included.
Conclusions
This review highlights the profound impact of adenomyosis and is the first to explore lived experiences and the diagnostic journey. Understanding the burdens of disease in terms of perceptions and lived experience in combination with the experiences of diagnostic interactions, are vital to improving diagnostic pathways. Education with improved multidisciplinary collaboration and further qualitative and case-study research, will be crucial to achieve this goal.
Registration
A priori protocol was registered (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/2UDYN) and published (https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-075316).
Uterine adenomyosis is a common gynaecological disease that can be debilitating. It is poorly understood and may be overlooked in clinical settings. A research gap exists as there are currently no published scoping reviews on perceptions and experiences early in the illness course. As part of a professional doctorate thesis the aim of this review is to systematically retrieve and describe available literature, exploring the impact of living with adenomyosis and perceptions of the diagnostic journey.
Design
A scoping review is conducted, using JBI methodology.
Data Sources
Medline, CINAHL Plus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Cochrane library, JBI and PROSPERO data bases, EThOS online and Google. Searches were made from database inception to July 2023.
Eligibility Criteria
The characteristics of evidence sourced were deliberately broad. Studies exploring experiences and perceptions of women diagnosed with adenomyosis, were considered.
Data Extraction and Synthesis
Titles and abstracts were initially screened. Subsequently, eligibility was clarified through methods section inspection and remaining studies were read in depth. A manual hand-search of references of selected studies was conducted. Prespecified data were extracted, charted, and categorised into themes.
Results
Six eligible studies were found, with themes describing impact and burdens, as well as several categories of unsupported needs. No studies specifically focussed on perceptions of the diagnostic journey, but some eligible studies made minor reference to this and are included.
Conclusions
This review highlights the profound impact of adenomyosis and is the first to explore lived experiences and the diagnostic journey. Understanding the burdens of disease in terms of perceptions and lived experience in combination with the experiences of diagnostic interactions, are vital to improving diagnostic pathways. Education with improved multidisciplinary collaboration and further qualitative and case-study research, will be crucial to achieve this goal.
Registration
A priori protocol was registered (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/2UDYN) and published (https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-075316).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e087122 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | BMJ Open |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 20 Jan 2025 |