Patients’ and Primary Care Practitioners’ Perspectives of Primary Care Consultations Relating to Menstrual Problems: A Meta-Ethnography

Past research indicates suboptimal primary care communication surrounding menstrual problems. This meta-ethnography synthesized qualitative research on patient and primary care practitioner perspectives to advance understanding of consultation dynamics. Menstrual problems included menorrhagia, dysmenorrhea, or gynecological conditions (e.g., endometriosis). Searches (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, citation, website) yielded 30 included articles. Synthesized findings revealed complex shared concepts between patients’ and practitioners’ perspectives: varying attitudes toward and discussions about menstrual problems and patients, alongside tensions in expectations, roles and knowledge sharing. Empowering patients and practitioners to improve communication in these areas could enable more effective primary care menstrual problem consultations.