Table 12. Participants’ opinions regarding what might improve the journey to diagnosis of EDS for women living in Australia.
| Suggestions to improve the journey to diagnosis of EDS* | n | (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Training/education/awareness for health professionals | 98 | 67.1 |
| Health professionals listen to and believe their patients/less dismissal | 42 | 28.8 |
| Increasing public awareness/reducing the stigma | 15 | 10.3 |
| One central service to go to/more EDS specialists | 12 | 8.2 |
| More support for doctors/better resources/more research | 9 | 6.2 |
| Open-minded health professionals/ HPs determined to find answers | 4 | 2.7 |
| Doctors to lose their egos and say they don’t know | 4 | 2.7 |
| Early diagnosis/screening | 3 | 2.1 |
| Educating medical students | 3 | 2.1 |
| Clear diagnostic pathway | 3 | 2.1 |
| An overall review of being dismissive of women’s experiences | 2 | 1.4 |
| Less judgement of patients | 1 | 0.7 |
| AHPRA to investigate patient complaints | 1 | 0.7 |
| Doctors who do what they say they will do | 1 | 0.7 |
*Participants could choose more than one option.