Grant: DRA : Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral Program (CGRS D)

Dysmenorrhea, or menstrual pain, affects over half of Canadian women and gender-diverse Canadians assigned female at birth. It's linked to adverse mental health outcomes, lower work performance, and school absenteeism. When untreated, it can increase pain sensitivity and vulnerability to chronic pain conditions. Despite these impacts, dysmenorrhea patients' symptoms are often normalized or dismissed by physicians, creating a cycle of invalidating clinical interactions, reduced engagement, and worsening pain outcomes. Improving the quality of clinical encounters is essential to breaking this cycle. This requires understanding the physician's perspective and bringing both physicians and patients together to improve dysmenorrhea care. This project seeks to 1) explore family physicians' (FP) perspectives on dysmenorrhea and the clinical challenges they face when treating it, and 2) co-create a framework with dysmenorrhea patients and FPs to establish the core components of an effective clinical encounter. Using a two-study, patient-oriented approach and guided by a diverse Patient Advisory Committee (PAC), Study 1 will survey Canadian FPs to assess practices, attitudes, and treatment barriers in the context of dysmenorrhea. Study 2 will use a modified Delphi process to bring together FPs and patient partners to co-develop the key components of an effective clinical encounter for dysmenorrhea patients. Preliminary components will be drawn from Study 1, current literature, and PAC input, with items refined across rounds until consensus is reached. Overall, this project establishes a framework that will inform subsequent research into medical education. Enhancing the quality of clinical encounters for the millions of Canadians suffering from dysmenorrhea is an efficient, non-invasive strategy to improve care, reduce long-term healthcare costs, and reinforce Canada's leadership in health equity.