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Amongst the key findings of the survey is that only 18 percent ofphysicians have "no confusion at all" about the WHI findings. However,physicians feel the confusion that exists among the general public is muchgreater:
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"Since the results of the WHI were first released in 2002, the public hasbeen bombarded with conflicting information on how to interpret the findings,"said Paula Correa, MA, Director of The Hormone Foundation. "The results ofthis survey underscore the importance of physicians' role in educatingpatients and calls for more public education on menopause management. This isa complex issue and patients should participate in a continuous open dialoguewith their physicians to arrive at treatment decisions best for theirindividual needs."
Physicians make treatment decisions based on information shared by theirpatients. The survey revealed that 100 percent of physicians say the severityof their patients' symptoms is "somewhat" or "very important" to them whendeciding whether to prescribe HT, closely followed by the range and specifictypes of symptoms (97 percent) and patient requests (94 percent).
Doctors were also asked to choose from a list of valuable tips to helptheir patients manage menopause. The following were the top five selections:
"In some ways, the complexity of the WHI has been a blessing in disguise,"said menopause expert Nanette Santoro, MD, Professor and Director of theAlbert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center's Division ofReproductive Endocrinology in New York and member of The Hormone Foundation'sWomen's Health Task Force. "Physicians are spending more time than everdiscussing the risks and benefits of HT with their patients and are focused onindividualizing the HT regimen to the specific needs of the patient. This caninclude adjusting the amount of the dose, the ingredients and the route ofadministration."
The survey showed that for the treatment of moderate to severe menopausesymptoms, 74 percent of physicians still think of HT as a first linetreatment. In addition, the survey identified that physicians are consideringHT options outside of the traditional pill formulations more often: in thelast two years, 43 percent of physicians have prescribed non-oral HT"somewhat" or "a lot more often" for their patients, with 71 percent sayingtheir patients preferred the transdermal patch over other non-oral options.
The survey also dug deeper into how the WHI findings have affectedmenopause management practices in several different areas including:
To view the full survey responses, please visithttp://hormone.org/meno_physician_survey.cfm . To arrange an interview with amenopause expert regarding the survey findings, please contact Jocelyn Jara at305-573-9955 or 786-554-6032, [email protected] for interviewcoordination.
About the Survey
The results of this study are based on a survey of 404 physicians who areinvolved in menopause management, including the following primary medicalspecialties: endocrinologists, obstetrician/gynecologists, internal medicine,family or general practitioners. The maximum margin of error (at the 95percent confidence level) for a sample of 404, a
