title: Bypassing the middleman: a grounded theory of women's self-care for vaginal symptoms.
abstract: Increasing numbers of women use self-diagnosis and self-treatment in response to vaginal symptoms. I used the grounded theory method to generate theory on women's self-care. Data collection consisted of interviews with 11 women and 3 pharmacists and content analysis of text from consumer literature and advertisements for vaginal antifungal products. The basic problem experienced by women was the need for rapid and convenient relief of symptoms. To accomplish this, women used the four-stage process of "bypassing the middleman," which enabled them to resolve the problem in a timely manner. Media, economics, and social networks were primary influences on women's self-care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts 01886, USA. Rosemary_Theroux@uml.edu
authors.forename: Rosemary
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Theroux
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002181:Candidiasis, Vulvovaginal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods*; D014621:Vagina / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016387:Women's Health
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs