Partnering to Navigate PCOS
About
UNC Family Medicine, in collaboration with experts at UNC OB/GYN, Endocrinology, Public Health, and Social Work, has partnered with Piedmont Health Services (PHS) to improve care for people living with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome with the goal of improving reproductive and long-term health and wellbeing. While Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or PCOS, is a very common chronic condition that impacts at least 1 in 10 women, most people with PCOS experience delayed diagnosis and piecemeal treatment. Partnering to Navigate PCOS is working to transform these experiences by engaging patient and clinical stakeholders to design and implement a patient-centered, evidence-based, comprehensive, multidisciplinary PCOS Management program within PHS.
This project includes: 1) Training for clinicians and healthcare team members to improve the identification and diagnosis of PCOS, 2) Co-design of patient-centered educational materials to improve PCOS-related knowledge for patients, and 3) The integration of a patient navigator into team-based care. The PCOS management program will be evaluated based on improved physical, emotional, and reproductive health for patients enrolled. An implementation toolkit will be developed and disseminated to encourage the adoption of the PCOS management program in other settings.
Re-Imagining Care for PCOS
Vision: People with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) receive patient-centered, whole-person care that supports their values, goals, and wishes, helping them to thrive.
Mission: Create a sustainable, replicable, and holistic model of PCOS care that helps people feel more healthy, supported, and closer to achieving their goals. Through patient and provider education, we will increase awareness, timely diagnosis, and person-centered management of PCOS.
Partnering PCOS Team: The leadership team includes principal investigator Narges Farahi, MD, MPH, from UNC Family Medicine, and an interdisciplinary group of co-investigators with expertise in implementation science, chronic conditions, reproductive health, family medicine, health equity, maternal and child health, and community engagement/community-based participatory research. This group includes Rachel Urrutia, MD, MSCR, of UNC Obstetrics and Gynecology; Jean Dostou, MD, of UNC School of Medicine; Wanda Nicholson, MD, MPH, MBA, of George Washington University; Sarah Verbiest, DrPH, MSW, MPH, clinical professor in the UNC School of Social Work and executive director of the Collaborative for Maternal and Infant Health in the UNC School of Medicine; and Erin McClain, MPH, MA, of the UNC Collaborative for Maternal and Infant Health. The Partnering to Navigate PCOS team includes a patient advisory board to guide patient and community elements of the work, as well as teams of clinic champions.
Funding Statement:
The Partnering to Navigate PCOS project is funded by a grant through the Addressing System Improvements for Key Issues in Women’s Health program at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health, Office on Women’s Health.
Resources:
About Partnering to Navigate PCOS (Beforeandbeyond)
Patient Resources – Showyourlovetoday
Health Care Professional Resources – Beforeandbeyond
Farahi, UNC Team Partnering to Navigate Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
