Translation of chronic pelvic pain experience into patient treatment preference profiles with Q-methodology

Despite many available treatments for female chronic pelvic pain, there is limited patient success, engagement, or compliance with therapy. No current methods allow providers to effectively collect and integrate patient perspectives into treatment choice for female chronic pelvic pain.

We aimed to leverage former qualitative stakeholder input on female chronic pelvic pain treatment choice, patient advisory group input, and Q-methodology to translate patient viewpoints around female chronic pelvic pain treatment into measurable patient viewpoints to guide treatment choice.

We used Q-methodology to translate qualitative data formerly collected from stakeholders in female chronic pelvic pain treatment into measurable patient preference profiles. Patient advisory group members interpreted previously collected qualitative data from female chronic pelvic pain stakeholders, and their guidance formulated Q-set statements in English and Spanish. Patients with female chronic pelvic pain performed Q-sort of these statements. Patient advisory group input then guided interpretation of factor analyses of Q-sorts to form relevant patient preference profiles for female chronic pelvic pain and provided preliminary mapping to certain treatments that may resonate with patients aligned with each preference profile.

We engaged 11 patient advisory group members, and 47 patients completed Q-sort. The authors and the patient advisory group analyzed, interpreted, and described 5 factors (patient preference profiles) to measure female chronic pelvic pain treatment viewpoints. We titled these patient preference profiles as the "Self-empowered Realist," the "Fearless Escalator," the "Careful Scientist," the "Trusting Optimist," and "Eager to Move On," with each patient having a certain alignment with each of these viewpoints. These factors map to possible treatments that align with a patient's viewpoint as they align with one or more of these patient preference profiles. We described the perspectives associated with each patient preference profile to allow for future use of these profiles to inform instruments to measure patient preferences in female chronic pelvic pain treatment navigation.

We translated patient perspectives on female chronic pelvic pain treatment into 5 measurable, nuanced patient preference profiles. We plan to use these patient preference profiles to guide treatment option counseling for female chronic pelvic pain in future studies.