Funding outcome

When I was a young girl in the hospital in a lot of pain and unable to walk, one doctor told me that 'there was nothing wrong with me.' A few months later, I was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). My lived experience with CRPS drives my research on this topic. I now know that women and girls often report that healthcare providers dismiss their pain. This can make their pain worse and hurt their mental health. There are several things that make patients with CRPS more likely to be dismissed. Most patients with CRPS are women. CRPS cannot be seen on tests. Some healthcare staff also think that mental health problems make it more likely for someone to get CRPS. These things together might lead healthcare staff to think that the pain is 'all in her head.' That can make them more likely to say dismissive things. Patients can have many bad experiences because it takes a long time to get a diagnosis of CRPS. We can help improve their health care journey if we know what it is like for these women and girls. We want to know what it is like for women and girls with CRPS seeking treatment for their pain. We also want to learn how healthcare staff can do better. Last, we want to know what makes women and girl's experiences different. We will search for all the research on this topic. Then we will analyze it to learn what it was like for these women and girls. We will partner with at least one patient who experienced CRPS herself to focus on what patients care most about. We will share our findings with healthcare providers like doctors, nurses and physical therapists. We hope that this will help them be more understanding of patients with CRPS. This will include tips on how to do better. We will also share what we learned through academic journals and conferences. We will also create infographics for patient support groups to reach patients and their families. My aim is to ensure that women and girls like me get more compassionate care for their CRPS.