March 1-7 is Endometriosis Awareness week and in December 2017, the Minister for health Mr Greg Hunt acknowledged there was a need for improved awareness, education, diagnosis, treatment of, and research into endometriosis and pelvic pain. This National Action Plan for Endometriosis (the Plan) emerged from the combined efforts of patients, advocacy groups, clinicians, researchers and parliamentarians to have endometriosis acknowledged as a substantial health burden in Australia where 1 in 10 women suffer from this disease.
I was privileged to be selected to participate in this National Action Plan and was involved in the Endometriosis Online Learning Resource Steering Committee (EOLRSC).
Our small team comprised of 10 clinicians from Australia and New Zealand and we sought to address the following question https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/1-in-10-women-are-affected-by-endometriosis-so-why-does-it-take-so-long-to-diagnose/ by providing an online learning module worth. In 2020 the Raising Awareness for Endometriosis Tool (RATE) and the online learning module were launched. The learning module is worth 40 RACGP/ACCRM/APNA/ RANZCOG CPD points.
Resources
I welcome you to download and share the free learning module and RATE tool with your colleagues.
1. CLIMATE: Endometriosis
https://www.climate.edu.au/mod/page/view.php?id=13314
2. RANZCOG – RATE Raising Awareness Tool for Endometriosis
https://ranzcog.edu.au/womens-health/patient-information-guides/other-useful-resources/rate
From Here
We haven’t stopped at that though, even though this part of our project has been completed. Dr Jacquline Frayne ( University of Western Australia) and Professor Alan Lam (University of New South Wales) and myself ( University of Melbourne) are conducting a research project to evaluate the use of RATE and assess how useful it is in helping in diagnosing endometriosis earlier.
Hopefully this research will address a sizeable gap that exists in the literature around endometriosis in primary care. Working on the EOLRSC ( Endometriosis Online Resource Steering Committee) has required me to explore current practice in primary care and there is a paucity of published information other than current NICE guidelines from the UK. As for what the current understanding of attitudes to and management of pelvic pain, dysmenorrhoea, endometriosis – the entire spectrum of this diagnostic conundrum – in primary care is, little is documented. . I will keep you all posted of the developments and findings of our research.
For More Information
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.
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.
