The gap between women’s needs when diagnosed with asymptomatic osteoporosis and what is provided by the healthcare system: A qualitative study

Abstract

Objectives Women diagnosed with asymptomatic osteoporosis need better support to understand the implications of the condition and how to practice self-management in their daily lives. In contrast, physicians report that asymptomatic osteoporosis is not a serious chronic condition and do not pay much attention to the condition compared to other chronic conditions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the gap between women’s needs, when diagnosed with asymptomatic osteoporosis, and what is provided by the healthcare system. Methods A secondary analysis of semi-structured interviews with 17 women newly diagnosed with asymptomatic osteoporosis was conducted and combined with semi-structured interviews with six physicians. Giorgi’s descriptive phenomenological method was used in the analysis. Results Two overall themes were identified: different perceptions of asymptomatic osteoporosis and discrepancies in the osteoporosis consultation. Habermas was used as a theoretical approach to discuss the findings. Discussion We discuss that physicians pay too much attention to the objective world and highlight that there is a need for better inclusion of women’s subjective and social worlds, to enable mutual understanding and communicative action in the osteoporosis consultation. This would lead to treatment decisions based on women’s needs and support women in their self-management of osteoporosis.