Australians living with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain will have a new way to plan and manage their care with their GP, with the launch of Australia's first national Endometriosis Management Plan (EMP).
Launching today, the EMP brings the latest endometriosis guidelines into an online personalised care plan, helping patients and GPs make evidence-based decisions about treatment, symptom management, referrals and ongoing care to achieve better health outcomes.
Endometriosis affects up to one in seven Australian women by age 50. It has no known cure, making effective long-term management of symptoms and their impact on everyday life critical.
While it takes an average of eight years from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis, eligible patients with suspected endometriosis or chronic pelvic pain can now use this EMP to begin managing their symptoms with their GP in the meantime.
Project lead Professor Danielle Mazza AM, Head of Monash University's Department of General Practice, said the EMP was designed to ensure patients with persistent symptoms were not left waiting for the next step in their care.
