How patient-centered is the gynecological care provided for patients with genitourinary syndrome of menopause in Switzerland? A survey on the implementation of patient-centered care

Objectives: This study assessed the extent to which patient-centered care has been implemented in patients with genitourinary syndrome of menopause. Study design: An online survey was developed consisting of an introduction and items covering knowledge about patient-centered care and genitourinary syndrome of menopause, inclusion criteria, biographical data, implementation of patient-centered care, competence and barriers in treating patients, treatment options in genitourinary syndrome of menopause and perceived benefit, specific dimensions of patient-centered care and the German version of the Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS-D12). The survey was administered to gynecologists in Switzerland. Main outcome measures: Mean PPOS-D12 scores were correlated with years of professional experience and age. A post-hoc regression analysis was calculated for the PPOS-D12 score with the predicting variables age, years of professional experience, professional setting, and strategies for ensuring patient-centered care. Results: In total, 220 gynecologists with a mean age of 50.64 years (SD = 9.50, range: 33-80 years) took part in the survey. Mean score on the PPOS-D12 was 4.49 (SD = 0.55) and this score was negatively correlated with the age of participants (Spearman's r(s) = -0.222, p < .001). Years of professional experience did not correlate with the PPOS-D12 score (Spearman's r(s) = -0.018, p = .792). The regression analysis reached significance (F(4, 205) = 3.826, p = .005, R-2 = 0.069, adjusted R-2 = 0.051), but only age had a significant association with the PPOS-D12 score (beta = 0.035, p < .001). Conclusions: This survey provides an overview of the patient-centeredness of gynecologists in Switzerland, shows possible obstacles (e.g. patient compliance) and proposes solutions (e.g. more resources per patient) for making routine care more patient-centered.