Perceived person-centered care and its association with outcomes in women with dyspareunia: a cross-sectional study.

Dyspareunia is defined as a persistent or recurrent genital pain during or after sexual intercourse. It is much more prevalent in women, and it has a significant impact on sexual function and quality of life, producing a progressive decrease in sexual desire, arousal, and the ability to achieve orgasm.1 It is also associated with psychological distress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, shame, guilt, negative body image, social isolation, and deterioration of partner relationships. It is related to several physical conditions, including vulvar atrophy, endometriosis, pelvic congestion syndrome, uterine retroversion, adenomyosis, ovarian remnant syndrome, and irritable bowel syndrome. It may be caused by inflammatory, muscular, hormonal, neurological, or anatomical factors, complicating the diagnostic process. Furthermore, psychological factors can also influence its development and chronicity. Given this complexity, the most effective therapeutic approach is usually multidisciplinary, including physical and psychological treatments and the adoption of healthy self-care habits. While Person-Centered Care (PCC) is recommended in any clinical situation, it is especially pertinent in complex conditions where there is uncertainty regarding the treatment to be applied or the efficacy of available treatments. Further, many women are reluctant to communicate their sexual problems due to feelings of shame or stigma, and many physicians fail to initiate conversations about sexual health. Promoting PCC, that is, involving women in the decision-making process about their health care, taking into account their values, preferences and concerns and giving them emotional support, is expected to enhance therapeutic alliance, helping patients and professionals to achieve a better communication, and to reduce stigma and improve women’s perceived control over their health problem. However, research on PCC in the field of female sexual dysfunction is scarce and mostly focused on endometriosis.2 Therefore, we aimed to assess the perceived quality of PCC by women with dyspareunia and its associations with dyspareunia-related outcomes.