Author name: Alice Mitchell
Author biography:
Alice is a physiotherapist and final year PhD Candidate from the University of Melbourne. Her work aims to develop a new patient-reported outcome measure for use in endometriosis clinical trials to assess for the ‘most impactful symptom’ of the condition.
Author contact details: alice.mitchell@student.unimelb.edu.au
Identifying the most impactful symptoms of endometriosis: Insights from the 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting
I am very thankful to have been given the opportunity to attend this year’s Annual Scientific Meeting in Darwin with the assistance of a generous travel grant. I was fortunate enough to present a poster on an international survey study which aimed to identify the symptoms of endometriosis that are perceived to be the most impactful by people with lived experience.
We found that the symptoms of endometriosis are incredibly varied, and there is no single predominant symptom that impacts people the most. These findings have helped to inform the development of a new patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) for clinical trials which assess for ‘change in the most impactful symptom’ of endometriosis. This PROM is being developed to fulfil a core outcome set, which identified this as a priority outcome.
I would like to thank everyone who visited my poster and who displayed interest in this work. It was a real privilege to present these findings, particularly in the IASP Global Year about Sex and Gender Disparities in Pain. The positive feedback I received has reinforced the importance of continuing research into understudied populations. It was also helpful to hear so many different perspectives about this work and the PROM we are developing.
I attended a number of interesting and thought-provoking sessions which were delivered by experts in various fields. It was particularly exciting to see work presented in the area of pelvic pain, including Dr Charlotte Elder’s opening lecture and Dr Jane Chalmers’ plenary. I also thoroughly enjoyed Professor Louise Sharpe’s session on cognitive bias modification. It was also great to see the work of so many other research students from across the country. I left the conference feeling very inspired.
By far the best part of attending this conference was having the chance to connect with others. I feel so fortunate to have met so many inspiring individuals and establish some meaningful connections. Attending the evening social events, including the Gala Dinner, were personal highlights. I would like to give special thanks to the team from University of South Australia who were so welcoming of me – I really enjoyed spending our social time together.
I am incredibly thankful for the generous financial support provided to me through this travel grant. Whilst I do recognise that attending any conference to present my work is an invaluable opportunity, it does unfortunately come with considerable financial costs. As a fulltime PhD student, this travel grant significantly eased some of those financial pressures.
I would like to extend my thanks to everyone who made this event possible. I look forward to seeing what research developments are made in the next year and seeing everyone again at the next APS Annual Scientific Meeting in Melbourne.
Declaration: Alice reports no conflicts of interest.
Australian Pain Society 