The below blog post has been written by the research team, and details of how to participate in the research can be found at the bottom of this post. Verity have sighted the ethics approval granted for the recruitment of this study. Please note that the condition previously known as PCOS is now referred to as PMOS; some researchers and clinicians may still use the term PCOS during this transition period.
Introduction
Many people have both positive and negative experiences when accessing healthcare.
Often, people report feeling dismissed or not believed by healthcare professionals, particularly when conditions are poorly understood or stigmatised.
We want to learn more about what makes these experiences feel positive or negative, how they affect people emotionally and physically, and what could improve them in the future.
About the Study
Researchers at King’s College London would like to recruit individuals with a diagnosis of a long-term condition, including PCOS, to take part in a study that is assessing the experiences of being dismissed by healthcare services.
The purpose of this project is to test a new questionnaire to assess experiences of being dismissed by healthcare services for people living with long-term conditions, including PCOS.
The study has been approved King’s College London Psychiatry, Health Faculties Research Ethics Subcommittee (rec@kcl.ac.uk; HR-24/25-53098).
What’s Involved?
If you decide to take part, this study will involve 4 online questionnaires completed over 6 months:
- Baseline questionnaire: 30-40 minutes to complete.
- 1-week follow-up questionnaire: 5-10 minutes to complete
- 3-months: 20-25 minutes to complete. When this is complete, you will receive a £5 Amazon voucher as a thank you for your time.
- 6-months: 20-25 minutes to complete. When this is complete, you will receive a £5 Amazon voucher as a thank you for your time.
Who Can Take Part?
We are recruiting people who:
- are aged 18 years or older
- are based in the UK
- have a diagnosis of a long-term condition (e.g., PCOS, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and mental health disorders) or have experienced a persistent symptom for a period of 6 months
- have used or tried to use healthcare services at least 5 times in the past two years for any kind of health issue.
Health issues may include:
- a new symptom or injury
- an ongoing condition or chronic illness
- an acute illness (e.g., cough, cold, virus)
- support for sexual health, mental health, fertility, or hormonal health
- or any other concern related to your health or wellbeing
Contact with healthcare services may include:
- seeing or trying to see a GP, pharmacist, physiotherapist, specialist clinic, or hospital service
- calling NHS 111, 999, or another health advice line for yourself
- being placed on a waiting list (e.g., for surgery, specialist care, Talking Therapies or physiotherapy)
- any other interaction with healthcare services whether face-to-face, online, or by phone
Why Take Part?
By developing a new scale to measure medical dismissal, this may help researchers to better understand this experience, improve training for healthcare professionals, and improve the quality of healthcare services.
Participants will receive a £5 Amazon voucher at the 3 month follow up, and another £5 voucher at the 6 month follow up as a thank you for their time.
How to Get Involved
To sign up to the study or for further information, get in touch with the team at MedicalDismissalStudy@kcl.ac.uk, or to directly access the study, follow the link https://qualtrics.kcl.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_bQ4mjWRERLuWWtU.
Recruitment will close on 31st August, 2026.
Closing & Contact
Thank you very much for your interest in our research, and please feel free to share the study with friends and family who may eligible for the study.
If you have any questions or if you would like more information, please contact the study team at MedicalDismissalStudy@kcl.ac.uk
Verity - The PCOS charity 