On-site reporting from the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons 2016 annual meeting

While Dr. Alaa Abd-Elsayed described innovative nerve blocks for CPP, he emphasized that no one specific treatment will result in a complete resolution of symptoms.

Vaginal mesh placement and pain. Dr. Mario Castellanos gave a fabulous lecture describing the pain issues that surround vaginal mesh placement. Interestingly, he noted that many patients had pelvic pain prior to placement of vaginal mesh, and that pain likely only will worsen with mesh placement. Mesh may cause pain by causing inflammation, visceral injury, muscle injury, and nerve injury. While there are guidelines for where mesh should be placed for bladder slings (TVT and TOT) and for prolapse repair, studies show, he pointed out, that the mesh placement often disrupts several muscle groups and may directly injure a nerve.

Alternatives to the typical diagnoses for CPP. The morning ended with a lecture by Dr. Suzie As-Sanie, in which she reminded everyone to start with “gold standard” therapy but, if those fail, consider alternative diagnoses or a central pain disorder. She also suggested cognitive behavioral therapy for treatment of CPP. For patients who cannot afford cognitive behavioral therapy, there is a free online source at fibroguide.med.umich.edu. Other alternative treatment options include exercise, patient education, instruction on sleep hygiene, and neurostimulatory therapies.

Overall, all the speakers this morning agreed that CPP is rarely treated with one modality, and it is best treated with a multidisciplinary approach.

Let’s get social!

The afternoon was spent learning about ways to use social networking sites to educate our patients, in another postgraduate course on “Making Media Social,” presented by the SGS Social Media Committee. Given that a recent survey demonstrated that 74.1% of women have some type of social networking account, it can be a very useful source for medical information for patients. If you have any questions about what is appropriate on social media, check out ACOG committee opinion 622.

Here are some tips that I learned:

Facebook:

• Keep your private Facebook page private and create a separate professional Facebook page
• Adjust your login setting so only administrators can post on your professional page
• Adjust settings so your professional profile cannot be “tagged”
• If a patient contacts your personal page, direct them to your professional page
• Do not give medical advice since Facebook is not digitally encrypted

Twitter:

• “Short bursts of inconsequential information”
• Follow societies, medical centers, and medical journals

LinkedIn:

• It provides a great way to find jobs, people, and business opportunities that are recommended by someone in your contact group
• It is specifically there to help you grow your business and show people who you are and where you have come from

Doximity:
Before we get to tips, first, what is it? Well, Doximity is basically a “LinkedIn” for physicians. It is “a way to find relevant specialists for patients; a rolodex; an email and text service; and a virtual lounge.” It is currently transforming from social network into a ‘platform.’ Now more than 1,000 hospitals and health systems are part of Doximity. Tips:

• There is a secure message option, which is HIPAA compliant
• Provides a way for residents and fellows to understand possible future places of employment
• It is a great way to find someone to refer patients to in an unfamiliar location

Vimeo:

• A benefit over YouTube is the lack of advertisements
• Check out the SGS video archives!
• You also can set privacy settings and embedding stats

Fifty-nine percent of US adults have looked online for health information in the past year. Therefore, it is important for physicians to get good information out for people to see!

A relaxing day’s end

The night ended with a beautiful poolside reception! I can’t wait to see what day 2 will bring!