A Call for Pan-Canadian Collaboration for the Care and Quality of Life of Endometriosis Patients

Endometriosis is a health care priority in Canada.

Key Points

Highlights:

• There is a lack of health care for endometriosis patients in Canada.
• The main problems of endometriosis patients in Canada are the delay in the diagnosis, the difficulty to access to effective treatment and general ignorance of their symptoms.

Importance:

• EndoAct Canada, a patient-oriented approach started by the authors, will improve the care and quality of life of endometriosis patients in Canada.

What's done here:

• A short paper regarding the problems of endometriosis patients, defects in the health care policies in Canada, and solutions to provide better health care is summarized.

Key Results:

• The negligence of endometriosis patients causes progressive physical disability and significant mental health challenges, even thoughts of suicide.
• A collaboration of patients, clinicians, and researchers from different geographic areas are of vital importance for the well-being of endometriosis patients.

Lay Summary

Wahl KJ et al., from Canada, drew attention to the lack of health care for endometriosis patients who are estimated to be 1 million in number in Canada in their recent brief communication report.

The delay in the diagnosis, the difficulty to access to effective treatment and ignorance of symptoms of endometriosis patients even by their nearest ones cause progressive physical disability and significant mental health challenges, including thoughts of suicide.

The advanced stages of endometriosis and contributors to complex pain symptoms may not be treated effectively and timely since there is a lack of trained clinicians and in many areas of Canada. Therefore, patients may even lose their jobs, relationships, and the ability to have children. Some patients even search for a cure outside of Canada.

Due to the given problems of endometriosis patients, authors started EndoAct Canada which is an independent collaboration of patients, clinicians, and researchers from different geographic areas of Canada, taking action on endometriosis. There are also similar acts in other countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.

The authors believe that this patient-oriented approach will improve the care and quality of life of endometriosis patients in Canada. 

This study has recently been published in the journal named Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada.

Research Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32753352/