Identifying Gaps in Pelvic Pain Education: A Scoping Review and Structured Analysis of Obstetrics and Gynecology...

Several clinical practice guidelines on the evaluation and management (EM) of chronic pelvic pain (CPP) have been published; however, it is not known whether obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) educational milestones are aligned with current practice recommendations. Therefore, this scoping review and structured analysis aims to identify gaps between clinical guidelines for the EM of CPP and OBGYN training milestones published by educational authorities like the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the AAGL.

The literature search was performed in MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and Bookshelf on the PubMed interface from January 2018 to September 2022. Peer-reviewed publications were included if they were a systematic review of recent practice guidelines and focused on female CPP. Publications that focused on a single pelvic pain condition or focused on a specific treatment were excluded.

Two reviewers extracted the data and appraised the study quality following the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Checklist for systematic reviews. Four articles met inclusion criteria for thematic analysis. A reflexive thematic analysis via the inductive approach was performed to develop clinical themes common to all review articles and presumed important in the EM of CPP. Pelvic pain experts and Delphi methodology was used to assess validity and relevance of each theme in OBGYN training. Validated themes were used in a strengths weaknesses opportunities threats (SWOT) analysis of the ACGME and the AAGL Milestones used for training OBGYN residents and fellows. A SWOT analysis is an organizational tool used to analyze processes in terms of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities for improvement, and threats to implementing a potential change.

Twelve clinical themes were conceptualized and achieved ≥ 90% consensus as being important in the EM of CPP. Clinical themes pertained to pathophysiology, biopsychosocial approach, trauma-informed care, history and physical examination, diagnostic testing, multimodal/multidisciplinary management, pain education, and medical and surgical management. SWOT analysis showed that the ACGME Milestones lacked milestones specific to CPP, while the AAGL Milestones had 6 CPP-focused competencies with multiple milestones. Milestones on trauma-informed care and application of biopsychosocial assessment were notably absent.

OBGYN educational milestones published by the ACGME and the AAGL are not yet aligned with current clinical guidelines for the EM of CPP.