Development and evaluation of an early menopause question prompt list

OBJECTIVE: A question prompt list (QPL)-a structured list of questions-assists women in acquiring relevant information and facilitates communication with healthcare providers (HPs). This study aims to co-develop an early menopause (EM) QPL and assess its acceptability and feasibility. METHODS: This three-phase study consisted of a survey to inform QPL development, interviews to explore acceptability, and clinical pilot-testing to assess feasibility. Participants included: 263 survey respondents with EM, 18 women interviewed, and 11 women and 6 HPs in pilot-testing. Main outcome measures were: survey-perceptions regarding communication with HPs, likeliness to use a QPL and QPL topics; interviews-QPL user-friendliness and acceptability; pilot study-women's QPL use, perceived helpfulness and future use, and HPs' perceived acceptability. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and thematic analysis. RESULTS: Women's perceived communication difficulties most commonly related to sexual function (50.6%), vaginal/urinary symptoms (43%), and psychological effects (41.1%). Most women (67.3%) indicated they were very likely to use an EM QPL. EM symptoms, effects, and management were considered very important/essential QPL topics (>80%). Interviewed women perceived the QPL as comprehensive, user-friendly, informative, and empowering. Most pilot study women asked 1 to 2 questions (73%), perceived the QPL as helpful (100%), and would use it again (81.8%). HPs reported that the QPL helped patients to ask questions and initiate discussion about important and sensitive issues. CONCLUSIONS: Women with EM have unmet information and communication needs, and are supportive of a comprehensive EM QPL. The EM QPL was perceived as an acceptable and feasible resource for women to use during medical consultations. : Video Summary:http://links.lww.com/MENO/A484.