Supporting girls with painful menstruation - A qualitative study with school nurses in Sweden.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Painful menstruation is common among girls. To optimize school nurses' work more knowledge about their experiences of supporting these girls is needed. The aim of this study was to describe school nurses' experiences of supporting girls with menstrual pain. METHODS: Interviews were conducted with 15 school nurses in Sweden and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Three themes emerged Taking menstrual pain seriously, Being a disseminator of knowledge, and External conditions for conducting professional work as a school nurse. CONCLUSION: School nurses felt competent in supporting girls with menstrual pain. However, they lacked structural, written guidelines and routines for how to treat, support, follow-up and refer girls with menstrual pain. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS School education about menstruation and sexual health needs to be strengthened. Cooperation with other healthcare facilities and networks with other school nurses should be increased. Specific guidelines on how to support girls with menstrual pain should be implemented.