ArticleThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2004
Diagnosing menstrual disorders: a qualitative study of the approach of primary care professionals.
Article in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2004. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed.
- What all physicians should know about women's health: a Delphi study.BMJ public health · 2025Article
- Incorporating menstrual health into routine pediatric primary care.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2024Article
- Primary care clinicians' perspectives on interacting with patients with gynaecological conditions: a systematic review.BJGP open · 2024Article
- Rates of medical or surgical treatment for women with heavy menstrual bleeding: the ECLIPSE trial 10-year observational follow-up study.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2023Observational
- Women's experiences of heavy menstrual bleeding and medical treatment: a qualitative study in primary care.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2023Article
- Living with Pain and Looking for a Safe Environment: A Qualitative Study among Nursing Students with Dysmenorrhea.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Open-access transvaginal sonography in women of reproductive age with abnormal vaginal bleeding: a descriptive study in general practice.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2011Article
- Article
- Mirena coil for heavy menstrual bleeding.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2008Article
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding in women of reproductive age: a descriptive study of initial management in general practice.BMC women's health · 2008Article
- What aspects of periods are most bothersome for women reporting heavy menstrual bleeding? Community survey and qualitative study.BMC women's health · 2007Article
- Menstrual symptoms: the importance of social factors in women's experiences.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2006Article
- Use of chaperones in general practice: GPs try to balance doctors' and patients' needs.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2005Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMenstrual disorders are a common presentation in primary care. Wide variations in management as well as discordance between patient and practitioners in relation to presenting problems have been described.
aimsTo explore the model of menstrual disorders used by practitioners in practice. DESIGN OF STUDY: Semi-structured interviews with primary care practitioners.
settingOne inner London health authority area.
methodConstant comparative analysis.
resultsMedical practitioners were critical of the guidance provided by gynaecological definitions and texts. Practitioners put more emphasis on defining normality than on defining disorder. Practitioners used a wide range of criteria to judge their patients' complaints and decide on a course of action. Female practitioners had access to personal and professional experience and used this to develop an understanding of women's complaints. Male practitioners in particular were limited by problems in discussing menstruation in detail. Because of the difficulties in assessing patient history, other non-gynaecological factors such as patient age and consulting behaviour informed practitioners' judgements.
conclusionThis study draws attention to practitioners' problems in using current definitions of menstrual disorders. The combination of unhelpful medical definitions, lack of standards of normality and difficulties in discussing menstruation resulted in individual practitioners making judgements in idiosyncratic ways. In the absence of a useful gynaecological model, practitioners develop individual, often subjective and gendered models to use in practice.
Indexed as
Identifiers
15113518PMC1266169What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.