IS THE USE OF A NON INVASIVE MOBILE APPLICATION AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO SCREEN WOMEN FOR ENDOMETRIOSIS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC?

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the positive predictive value (PPV) of diagnosis for endometriosis by the Nezhat Endometriosis Advisor (NEA) mobile application to serve as a screening tool A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a university-affiliated private practice. Inclusion criteria were women with no previous surgical diagnosis of endometriosis who also completed an endometriosis assessment using the application. Patients with symptoms desiring definitive diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis then underwent laparoscopic surgery once surgeries were once again allowed. The diagnosis of endometriosis was confirmed visually by a surgeon specialized in treating endometriosis and also through biopsy sent to pathology. The primary outcome measured was the PPV of NEA mobile application questionnaire to the surgical diagnoses of endometriosis. A total of 100 patients met the inclusion criteria for this study. 95% of the patients whose score on the app was 90% or above, had a surgical pathology confirmed diagnosis of endometriosis (PPV 95%). NEA mobile application questionnaire has a high PPV of 95% for diagnosing endometriosis and can help identify a patient population that may require surgical treatment for pelvic pain or unexplained infertility. This will be helpful as it may lead to earlier diagnosis and management of endometriosis. Patients can reduce risk exposure of COVID-19 by avoiding multiple medical office visits. The COVID-19 pandemic has also decreased the availability of healthcare for many, and they may suffer for a long time with pain or infertility before a diagnosis is made. The mobile application is a possible alternative method to assess risk of endometriosis while avoiding risk of COVID-19 exposure. Patients can be medically treated based on symptoms and application results until surgery can be performed. With further research, the application has the potential to be the diagnostic measure of endometriosis. More research is needed to determine the continued accuracy of the application in different patient population and demographics