Publications by authors named "Jane Chalmers"
This study investigated patient pain descriptors for transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) diagnostic evaluation of endometriosis for uterosacral ligaments (USLs), including correlation between USL thickness and site-specific tenderness (SST). It further investigated if SST could positively assist diagnosing endometriosis on TVS. TVS images and SST pain descriptors were collected from 42 patients.
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- Beliefs and knowledge about pelvic pain significantly impact how women manage their pain, but current interventions may not align with their understanding.
- A study conducted interviews with 12 female participants to explore their beliefs regarding the identity, cause, consequences, control, and timeline of their pelvic pain.
- Results showed that while participants generally understood pain through a biopsychosocial lens, they often described their experiences in a way that aligned more with the biomedical model, emphasizing the need for tailored educational approaches in pain management.
Objective: There is a lack of research on women's holistic experiences of vaginismus, also called sexual pain-penetration disorder, from their perspective. To address this gap, an abductive qualitative study aimed to examine women's help-seeking experiences for vaginismus, and its impact on their sense of self.
Methods: This study was informed by a feminist approach to the theory of self focused on participants' negotiation of dis/empowerment when help-seeking for vaginismus.
Introduction: There is considerable variation in the types of symptoms experienced by people living with endometriosis, and it is unclear which symptoms impact people the most. This study aimed to identify the specific symptoms that are "most impactful" to people living with the condition.
Material And Methods: Two sequential online surveys were conducted.
Article Synopsis
- A study was done to understand "symptom bother" for people with endometriosis, which is a condition that can cause painful symptoms.
- Eighteen interviews showed that people think of their symptoms as more than just something that bothers them; it really affects their daily life.
- Instead of using the term "bother," most participants preferred "impact" to describe how their symptoms affect them, as it shows a deeper understanding of their struggles.
Background: Research to improve healthcare experiences for women with vaginismus tends to be produced from the perspective of healthcare professionals or health-based researchers. There is lacking research on women's experiences and recommendations to improve help-seeking for vaginismus from their perspective. To address this research gap, this qualitative study aimed to identify the issues that women face when help-seeking for vaginismus and their recommendations to address it.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPain science education (PSE) provides people with an understanding of "how pain works" grounded in the biopsychosocial model of pain; it has been demonstrated to improve outcomes in musculoskeletal pain conditions. Preliminary evidence suggests PSE may be effective for female individuals with persistent pelvic pain, but how the content of PSE needs to be modified for this group remains to be determined. A reflexive thematic analysis of qualitative data was performed to identify PSE concepts that female individuals with persistent pelvic pain consider important and why.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Vaginismus is one of the leading causes of painful sex (dyspareunia) for women. General practitioners (GPs) play a vital role in diagnosing and treating vaginismus, as well as coordinating a multidisciplinary team to support people with vaginismus.
Objective: The aim of this article is to summarise what is currently known about vaginismus, including its aetiology and contributing factors, how a diagnosis can be made, the implications of vaginismus on primary care clinical practice and the available treatment options for people with vaginismus.
Background: Simulation-based learning is an important educational medium that is being implemented increasingly for the purpose of improved patient care and safety. However, there is evidence to suggest that simulation-based education (SBE) may increase anxiety, as illustrated through self-reporting and physiological responses. Despite such data, no studies have investigated whether anxiety and stress can be manipulated through SBE scenario design and delivery to facilitate optimal learning conditions.
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- Patient education is very important for helping women who have ongoing pelvic pain, but there are many different ways to teach them, and it's not clear which is the best.
- A review looked at different guidelines from healthcare experts about managing pelvic pain in women and found 17 useful guidelines after checking through over 3,000 records.
- Most of these guidelines said that patient education is needed, focusing on treatment options and understanding the pain, but they suggested different ways to teach, like support groups and printed materials.
Introduction: Pelvic girdle pain is a common problem experienced during pregnancy, with high incidence rates and significant impacts on quality of life. Remedial massage might be able to provide some reduction in pain.
Aim: This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial on the effectiveness of massage in treating pregnant women with pelvic girdle pain to determine its merits and viability for use in a large-scale study.
Article Synopsis
- - Vaginismus is a common problem for some women that makes sex painful or hard, but many people don't know about it, and there isn't much research on how women look for help with it.
- - This study aimed to understand how women experience seeking help for vaginismus and how it affects how they see themselves.
- - The research reviewed 22 studies and found that women still struggle to get support from healthcare systems, but didn't fully explore how seeking help changes their self-image.
Background & Aims: Fibroblast activity is a key feature of fibrosis progression and organ function loss, leading to liver-related complications and mortality. The fibrogenesis marker, PRO-C3, has been shown to have prognostic significance in relation to fibrosis progression and as a treatment efficacy marker. We investigated whether PRO-C3 was prognostic for clinical outcome and mortality in two distinct cohorts of compensated cirrhosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEndometriosis is a common and painful gynaecological condition that takes an average of 6.4years to diagnose. While laparoscopic surgery is the recommend gold standard in diagnosis of endometriosis, transvaginal ultrasound (TVS) is able to assist surgeons in the planning and management of patients, especially when there is limited visualisation in the posterior compartment.
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- - The study explores the experiences of adolescents with persistent pelvic pain (PPP) when trying to access physiotherapy services in a tertiary hospital setting.
- - Key barriers to accessing physiotherapy included limited information, poor health literacy, mental health challenges, long referral processes, and dependence on family for transportation.
- - Positive aspects included supportive clinicians and group therapy environments, but there was concern that reliance on physiotherapy for pain management may lead to dependency.
Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global problem growing in parallel to the epidemics of obesity and diabetes, with South Asians being particularly susceptible. Nutrition and behaviour are important modifiers of the disease; however, studies to date have only described dietary patterns and nutrients associated with susceptibility to NAFLD.
Methods: This cross-sectional case-control study included 993 NAFLD patients and 973 healthy controls from Trivandrum (India).
Article Synopsis
- Self-management is important for women with endometriosis, who often rely on various strategies to cope with their symptoms; however, the effectiveness of these strategies is unclear.
- A systematic review was conducted, analyzing studies on self-management strategies like dietary supplements and exercise, but most showed high risk of bias and lack of effectiveness compared to standard treatments.
- The review highlights the need for more rigorous research to properly evaluate and recommend self-management strategies for managing endometriosis symptoms.
Aim: The primary aim is to explore the relationship between symptom severity and prolapse bother in women with pelvic organ prolapse (POP). The secondary aim is to determine the association between psychological variables and prolapse bother.
Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted via online surveys assessing POP bother (visual analog scale for bother), POP symptom severity (International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Vaginal Symptoms), and psychological measures of depression and anxiety (Kessler psychological distress scale [K-10]), catastrophizing (modified pain catastrophizing scale [mPCS]), and self-efficacy (modified pain self-efficacy questionnaire [mPSEQ]) in women with self-reported POP.
Health seeking behaviours and treatments received by Australian women with vulvodynia: A cross-sectional survey.
Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol
December 2021
Background: Vulvodynia is a condition characterised by pain in the vulva lasting more than three months and for which no obvious aetiology can be found. It affects around 8% of women and has significant negative impacts on quality of life. There is a paucity of research on healthcare management pathways and the use of evidence-based treatments in an Australian community setting.
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