The impact of a specialist-led digital health application on menopause symptoms in the workplace: A single-arm, longitudinal evaluation.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to evaluate the change in menopause symptoms and work impairment among a cohort of UK working women who utilised an employer-provided digital menopause health application offering education and personalised support. STUDY DESIGN: We adopted a retrospective, single-arm, longitudinal approach by analysing data from 11,870 users of the Peppy Health menopause application. Users reported their menopause symptoms and work impairment on day 0 and after 90 and 180 days of application use. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Menopause symptoms were measured by the Menopause Rating Scale, while work impairment was measured by a single question. RESULTS: A significant decrease in the severity of menopause symptoms was observed in users across menopause stages, except for premenopausal users who saw lower severity and no change over time. Improvement in menopause symptoms was positively associated with the degree of application engagement. Work impairment also significantly reduced over time for menopausal users, and a significant association was observed between a reduction in menopause symptoms and a decline in work impairment. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that engaging with a digital menopause application is associated with an improvement in menopause symptoms, which lends initial support for the use of personalised digital solutions to help working women through the menopause transition.

An evaluation of demographic characteristics and workplace experiences of UK employees using an employer-provided menopause application.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was to determine the demographic characteristics and workplace experiences of users of a menopause application in the UK. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective observational study of data extracted from the information submitted by 21,555 users of the Peppy Health menopause application during registration. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: Menopause symptoms were measured using the Menopause Rating Scale. The other questionnaire items assessed workplace impairment, work absence, thoughts about reducing hours or leaving work, feelings of support and disclosure confidence. RESULTS: Users were predominately peri- and postmenopausal women between the ages of 40 and 60. The users reported menopause symptoms that were more severe than in the general population. Symptom severity was associated with work impairment and wanting to reduce hours worked or leave employment, and feeling supported was associated with less impairment. CONCLUSIONS: The menopause application is reaching women in the workplace who are experiencing severe symptoms and who are likely to benefit from targeted support. Among the users of a menopause application, the presence of severe menopause symptoms can have a significantly negative effect on work and future participation in paid employment. The results also indicate the potential role of support to mitigate some of the negative impact.

An evaluation of menopause service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the experience of remote outpatient menopause service delivery by clinicians and patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Two surveys explored the experiences of patients and clinicians separately. Patients attending menopause clinics in the UK were directed to an online survey which included questions on demographics and on their experience of their most recent appointment. A clinician survey was shared to members of the British Menopause Society (BMS) via email and was made available on the BMS website. It contained questions on clinic characteristics and clinicians' experience of delivering remote menopause consultations. Surveys were available for completion between 01/12/2020 and 10/02/2021. RESULTS: Of 180 patients who completed the patient survey, 52% felt remote consultations were the same or better than face-to-face consultations, and 90% of patients felt a choice between remote and face-to-face consultations should be offered. Patients overall were satisfied with many aspects of care, though numerous problems were highlighted with appointment administration. Of 76 clinicians who completed the clinician survey, most found remote patient consultations either no different or a bit worse than face-to face consultations but found that they offered more flexibility. In some cases, significant rescheduling was necessary to accommodate for the clinical needs of the consultation. CONCLUSION: A 'one-size-fits-all' approach to managing the delivery of menopause care is not supported by patients or clinicians. There must be a robust process in place to avoid problems with appointment scheduling and associated communications. Lessons learned from the pandemic can help to provide holistic menopause care.

The essential menopause curriculum for healthcare professionals: A European Menopause and Andropause Society (EMAS) position statement.

INTRODUCTION: The menopause, or the cessation of menstruation, is a stage of the life cycle which will occur in all women. Managing perimenopausal and postmenopausal health is a key issue for all areas of healthcare, not just gynecology. AIM: To provide recommendations for the curriculum of education programs for healthcare professionals worldwide, so that all can receive high quality training on menopause. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Literature review and consensus of expert opinion. SUMMARY RECOMMENDATIONS: Training programs for healthcare professionals worldwide should include menopause and postmenopausal health in their curriculum. It should include assessment, diagnosis and evidence-based management strategies.

Vision for menopause care in the UK.

Menopause is a major life event affecting all women in a variety of ways, both short and long term. All women should have access to accurate information, available in all forms and through all recognised sources. All healthcare professionals should have a basic understanding of the menopause and know where to signpost women for advice, support and treatment whenever appropriate. Every primary care team should have at least one nominated healthcare professional with a special interest and knowledge in menopause. All healthcare professionals with a special interest in menopause should have access to British Menopause Society Menopause Specialists for advice, support, onward referral and leadership of multidisciplinary education. With the introduction of the comprehensive British Menopause Society Principles and Practice of Menopause Care programme, the society is recognised throughout the UK as the leading provider of certificated menopause and post reproductive health education and training for healthcare professionals. Restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic have been a springboard for the British Menopause Society to bring innovations to the services provided for our membership and for healthcare professionals throughout the UK.

Options for the treatment of menopausal symptoms.

Many women experience unpleasant symptoms about the time of the menopause and after, for which a range of treatments is available. This article discusses their efficacy and safety.

Journey through the clinics - The experience of a woman with BRCA2.

Being told that you carry the gene abnormality for breast cancer is hard enough, then being told that you need surgery that will render you menopausal at a young age makes life even harder. Trying to navigate through the NHS, the genetics service, the gynaecology clinics, the gynaecology surgery, primary care services and finally menopause clinics has highlighted the need for cohesive and consistent advice for such women. This woman reports on her personal, generally positive, experience of this journey.

Menopause.

The menopause is a significant event in the lives of most women. Some have positive experiences while others may have difficulty managing their symptoms and adjusting to the changes that result. This article discusses the physiology, symptoms and treatment of the effects of menopause. Nurses are ideally placed to advise, inform and assist women in making decisions about their health during and following the menopause.

Self-care lifestyle changes for the menopause and beyond.

Lynn Young's thought-provoking piece about self-care for older people prompted me to think about changes in earlier life that can have a positive impact on health in later years, and how nurses might encourage this.

Webwise.

A scoping workshop for a national guideline on the management of osteoporosis was carried out in 2003. To date, this is still under review. In the past few years there has been much controversy about who to treat and at what stage of the condition. In addition, there is debate on whether or not bone densitometry is needed before treatment in all cases.

Introduction to an integrated competence framework for health-care support workers and nurses working in menopause.

The evolving role of the menopause nurse is essential to the provision of expert clinical care, and for the education of both patients and health-care professionals. The new Royal College of Nursing integrated competence framework for health-care support workers and nurses working in menopause has been developed to provide specialist guidance and can be used to ensure practice is safe, effective and accountable. It supports acknowledgement for knowledge, skills and competence in their daily roles whilst caring for women at the time of menopause. It aims to ensure consistent standards across all settings whilst increasing the effectiveness of menopause service provision. Using the competences will help nursing staff identify their own level of practice, career plan in a more structured way and pinpoint education and development needs. The framework is a dynamic document that will continuously evolve in light of changes in menopausal healthcare.