Lay summary
Most women in New Zealand will undergo a clinic-based gynaecological procedure during their lifetime. While many will find the experience to be just an uncomfortable inconvenience, for some this encounter will be painful and upsetting, or even create lasting harms currently.
As there is no effective evidence-based strategy for managing pain in women during these gynaecological procedures. Pain management is usually medication management, although this has been shown to have inadequate effectiveness. In addition, medications may be limited by accessibility, cost or safety in some settings.
As there is no New Zealand data on how women are affected by these gynaecological procedures, our objectives are to (i) understand the experience of women undergoing clinic-based gynaecological procedures (ii) co-design specific information and other options for managing pain and anxiety, and (iii) engage with and build relationships in proposed localities for a follow-on health delivery study.