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Global menopause toolkit aims to improve diagnosis, treatment
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To help manage menopause for women globally, researchers in Melbourne, Australia, created the Practitioner’s Toolkit for Managing the Menopause, published in the International Menopause Society’s journal Climacteric.
The practical toolkit developed at the School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine at Monash University includes a diagnostic tool and compendium of approved hormone therapies and is designed for general practitioners (GPs) to use with women aged 40 years and older.
“There are many detailed guidelines available on menopause, but the reality is that most GPs don’t have the time to work through a 40-page report when they only have 5 or 10 minutes with a patient,” Susan Davis, MBBS, FRACP, PhD, of Monash University, a board member of the International Menopause Society (IMS), said in a press release.
The diagnostic tool uses medical history and risk factors to arrive at the best treatment solution for patients; it was created based on existing menopause research and position statements, published diagnostic algorithms and clinical experience in primary care.
The processes aim to help doctors determine why a woman might present, their menopausal status, key information to collect and other issues that could influence treatment decisions, whether hormonal and non-hormonal.
The IMS is now promoting the use of the toolkit around the world, according to the release, as the first to offer clear, structured and practical guidance with potential to help every woman.
“Hormone therapy is commonly prescribed to women, but its success varies according to symptom type and severity, personal circumstances and medical background,” Davis said in the release. “This toolkit has the potential to change that because it’s designed to work as just as well for a 41-year-old woman in Madras as it will for the 48-year-old in Manhattan.”
Disclosures: One researcher reports being an investigator for Trimel Pharmaceuticals Canada and has received unrestricted research grant support from Lawley Pharmaceuticals and Besins Healthcare.
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