Health Seeking Behaviors and Healthcare Utilization in Women Diagnosed with Endometriosis: A Systematic Review
Abstract
Introduction: Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition affecting women of childbearing age worldwide. There are limited roles of medical or surgical treatments. Endometriosis not only affects quality of life but also results in significantly increased healthcare service utilization. The review aims to examine the existing literature to gain a comprehensive understanding of healthcare resource utilization in endometriosis patients across different countries. Methods: The systematic review was conducted to include studies on healthcare utilization among endometriosis patients from January 2000 to 2023. The search was conducted in Medline and Embase databases. Search terms related to endometriosis and healthcare resource utilization were used. Studies published in English with data on healthcare utilization across inpatient, outpatient, emergency care, and other services (such as specialist and primary care physician) were included. The studies only examined the cost- or cost-effective analysis were excluded. Results: Women with endometriosis experience a higher prevalence of gynecological and abdominal pain-related conditions, along with a greater burden of comorbidities and infertility issues. They also exhibit significantly higher healthcare utilization across various healthcare settings, including emergency care, inpatient visits, outpatient visits, and specialist care. These utilization differences remain significant up to one year before the diagnosis and persist for at least five years following the diagnosis, with the highest disparity observed in the first year after diagnosis. Conclusion: The systematic review examines the health-seeking behavior and healthcare utilization patterns among women diagnosed with endometriosis across different countries. The findings indicate that women with endometriosis experience a higher burden of medical comorbidities and exhibit increased rates of emergency care visits, inpatient visits, and outpatient visits.
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Copyright (c) 2023 Dr Jia Chen (MD), Yuyang Liu, Dr Keisuke Tanaka (MD), Dr Akwasi Amoako (MD)
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