Preparing women experiencing symptoms of menopause for shared decision making about treatment

Objective: To develop a decision support intervention that can be used with women experiencing menopausal symptoms to facilitate treatment shared decision making. Methods: Our research team contacted patients with reported menopausal symptoms by telephone to obtain consent and administer a baseline survey. Subsequently, we sent participants a booklet on the treatment of menopausal symptoms. A nurse educator then contacted participants by telephone to review the booklet and guide them through a structured decision counseling exercise designed to help clarify treatment preference. A 60-day endpoint telephone survey was completed. Results: Forty-eight consenting participants completed the baseline survey and 37 (77%) also completed a decision counseling session. At baseline, 19 of the women who had decision counseling were not being treated for menopausal symptoms and 18 were being treated. After decision counseling, 13 (68%) participants who were not being treated and 14 (78%) who were being treated identified a preferred treatment. Comparison of baseline and endpoint survey data showed that participant treatment knowledge increased (Pā€Š=ā€Š0.007) and treatment decisional conflict decreased (Pā€Š
Source: Menopause - Category: OBGYN Tags: Original Studies Source Type: research