Acceptability of using the Raising Awareness Tool for Endometriosis (RATE) in general practice: a mixed methods pilot study – Frayne – Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology – Wiley Online Library
As a member of the Endometriosis Online Learning Research Steering Committee ( EOLRSC 2018) which was funded by RANZCOG and Jean Hailes Foundation, we developed an online learning module for health professionals aimed mainly at the primary care level which is available free of charge.
RATE
Alongside this work, our team designed the Raising Awareness Tool for Endometriosis (RATE) .
It’s been designed for clinicians and people in the community to use online to assess symptoms and its use by GPs/ health professionals in their rooms has been reviewed by our study published recently in ANZJOG.
We were not funded to undertake any research, however Dr Jacquline Frayne University of Western Australia), Associate Professor Alan Lam (UNSW) and I (University of Melbourne) determined that the evaluation of GP knowledge of endometriosis and evaluation of RATE would fill important gaps in the research.
We then proceeded to conduct the two pieces of research which have been published this year the first of which is here and the and the second is here.
We hope you benefit from these resources.
Associate Professor Magdalena Simonis AM is the Immediate Past President of the AFMW (2020-2023), former President of VMWS (2013 & 2017-2020) and current AFMW National Coordinator (2024-2026). She is a full time clinician who also holds positions on several not for profit organisations, driven by her passion for bridging gaps across the health sector. She is a leading women’s health expert, keynote speaker, climate change and gender equity advocate and government advisor. Magda is member of The Australian Health Team contributing monthly articles.
Magdalena was awarded a lifetime membership of the RACGP for her contributions which include past chair of Women in General Practice, longstanding contribution to the RACGP Expert Committee Quality Care, the RACGP eHealth Expert Committee. She is regularly invited to comment on primary care research though mainstream and medical media and contributes articles on various health issues through newsGP and other publications.
Magdalena has represented the RACGP at senate enquiries and has worked on several National Health Framework reviews. She is author of the RACGP Guide on Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery and co-reviewer of the RACGP Red Book Women’s Health Chapter, and reviewer of the RACGP White book
Both an RACGP examiner and University examiner, she undertakes general practice research and is a GP Educator with the Safer Families Centre of Research Excellence, which develops education tools to assist the primary care sector identify, respond to and manage family violence . Roles outside of RACGP include the Strategy and Policy Committee for Breast Cancer Network Australia, Board Director of the Melbourne University Teaching Health Clinics and the elected GP representative to the AMA Federal Council. In 2022. she was award the AMA (Vic) Patrick Pritzwald-Steggman Award 2022, which celebrates a doctor who has made an exceptional contribution to the wellbeing of their colleagues and the community and was listed as Women’s Agenda 2022 finalist for Emerging Leader in Health.
Magdalena has presented at the United Nations as part of the Australian Assembly and was appointed the Australian representative to the World Health Organisation, World Assembly on COVID 19, by the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) in 2021. In 2023, A/Professor Simonis was included on the King’s COVID-19 Champion’s list and was also awarded a Member (AM) in the General Division for significant service to medicine through a range of roles and to women’s health.
