Women’s health toolkit available for PCPs

A toolkit being distributed by the Office on Women’s Health has a number of resources that primary care physicians can use to help their female patients, according to HHS.

The resource is part of the effort to draw attention to National Women’s Health Week, which starts on Mother’s Day each year.

Cheryl Thompson

“Often the time that providers can spend with their patients is limited. The [National Women’s Health Week] toolkit can help health professionals jump start communication, beginning discussions around evidence-based resources, information and messages that remind women to make their health a priority,” Cheryl Thompson, MSPH, public health advisor, HHS Office on Women’s Health, told Healio Family Medicine.

The toolkit contains flyers tailored to every age group that primary care providers and other medical professionals can give to their patients. For example, the flyer geared towards the youngest groups of women make mention of discussing whether a patient intends to have children or use birth control; the flyer geared toward middle-aged women discusses whether low-dose aspirin is an appropriate medicine to take; and the flyer geared towards the oldest groups women discusses whether an osteoporosis test is needed.

According to the Office on Women’s Health, the content for these flyers comes from entities such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

The toolkit also contains tips on being an advocate for women’s health, such as ideas for social media posts, talking points that can be incorporated into presentations, and articles that can be customized to a health care provider’s practice throughout the year.

“A key component of patient-centered care is good provider-patient engagement. Experience and practice show that sound provider-patient communication correlates with higher rates of patient satisfaction and compliance with care,” Thompson told Healio Family Medicine. [The toolkit] allows primary care and other providers to connect with their female patients and discuss self-care all year round.”

The toolkit can be obtained by emailing womenshealth@hhs.gov at any time of the year, according to the Office of Women’s Health. – by Janel Miller

Further reading :

Office of Women's Health National Women's Health Week Webpage (accessed 05-18-17)

Disclosure: Thompson reports no relevant financial disclosures.