Nursing care for patients with endometriosis in Aotearoa New Zealand: a survey study

Background: Endometriosis is a chronic condition where patients face challenging care journeys. There is minimal literature regarding perspectives of nurses on their approach to caring for endometriosis patients. Aims: This paper assesses Aotearoa New Zealand nurses’ awareness and understanding of New Zealand guidelines, perceptions of endometriosis care, perspectives of their role in this care and interest in endometriosis-specialist nursing roles. Methods: Two hundred and ninety-two nurses completed an online, anonymous, exploratory, descriptive survey about their knowledge, view of the importance of endometriosis nursing roles and personal interest in becoming an endometriosis-specialist nurse. Results: 16.1% of nurses perceived they knew enough about endometriosis for their routine practice. The majority (72.9%) of nurses surveyed indicated they were personally interested in becoming an endometriosis-specialist nurse, with some willing to dedicate several years to becoming qualified for this role. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate both a self-perceived lack of knowledge amongst nurses regarding endometriosis as a topic, as well as a desire for readily available education and upskilling regarding nursing for patients with the condition. The authors hypothesise that investment into having endometriosis-specialist nurses may alleviate some of the pressure from the primary and secondary health system care of endometriosis patients.