Ms Katie Harris1
1Zebra Research Pty Ltd, Sydney, Australia
Aim
To explore women’s experiences of menopause care and support provided by healthcare professionals (HCPs) to provide a deeper understanding of the patient experience.
Method
N=25 semi-structured qualitative interviews with women aged 35-63 yrs.
Purposive sampling was used to recruit women who self-identified as experiencing menopausal symptoms that negatively impacted their quality of life.
A subset of women (n=12) was selected on the basis that the women reported having had a negative experience with their HCP regarding their menopause-transition related concerns. A further n=5 were selected on the basis of having identified cultural issues as a barrier to discussing menopause-transition related concerns with HCPs.
Results
Women spoke frankly about their symptoms, concerns and key barriers in consultations with their HCP. They identified ways HCPs could make these consultations more valuable.
Conclusion
HCPs have a key role to play in supporting people transitioning through menopause.
Being pro-active in initiating discussions regarding the menopause transition, being aware of cultural sensitivities, and engaging in a “shared-decision process” for treatment options are just some of the ways HCPs can improve the patient experience and facilitate better health outcomes.
Biography:
Katie has extensive experience in qualitative theory and research design, and has been a qualitative practitioner for over 25 years.
She has a particular interest in women’s lived experience of menopause; a topic that gets far less airtime than it deserves, despite the considerable and negative impact it can have on health, gender equity and wellbeing. By sharing her research insights, she aims to build understanding of the patient experience to facilitate better health outcomes.
Katie is a full member of The Research Society. She holds an MBA (AGSM, UNSW) and a B. Soc. Science & Policy; Major Psychology(UNSW).