Awareness of hormone replacement therapy in medical care personnel in Jiaxing, China: a questionnaire survey

Abstract

This study was aimed to investigate the attitudes and knowledge of medical personnel on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in treating perimenopausal syndrome. A total of 2580 self-administered questionnaire forms were sent to medical care professionals and the responses collected were anonymous. The questionnaire included information on levels of awareness, benefits, and potential risks of HRT. A total of 2158 questionnaire forms were filled and used for statistical analysis; 61.4% of gynecologists believed that it was necessary to conduct HRT in suitable patients, 89.1% would like to recommend the therapy to patients with perimenopausal syndrome, and 83.2% of the participants were willing to take training on HRT. The mean score of awareness of HRT among the respondents was 3.14 out of 10. The main reason for them to avoid HRT was fear of cancer (43.8%), weight gain (30.4%), addiction (21.9%), and thrombus (3.9%). These results indicated that a large proportion of gynecologists are willing to recommend HRT to a woman complaining of climacteric disorders. However, awareness of HRT among the health workers (including gynecologists) is relatively low. They are also worried about the risks. A more concerted effort should be made to better disseminate information on HRT.

Chinese abstract

本研究旨在探讨医务人员对激素替代疗法（HRT）用于治疗围绝经期综合征的态度和认知。共有2580份自填式调查表发给医护人员, 所收集的答复均为匿名。调查问卷包括对HRT意识水平、益处和潜在风险的信息。填写满意的调查问卷共2158份, 并用于统计分析。61.4%的妇科医师认为有必要在适合的患者进行HRT, 89.1%愿意将该疗法推荐给围绝经期综合征患者, 83.2%的参与者愿意接受HRT的培训。如果总分是10分的话, 受访者对HRT认识的平均得分为3.14分。他们放弃HRT主要原因有害怕癌症（43.8%）、体重增加（30.4%）、成瘾（21.9%）和血栓（3.9%）。这些结果表明, 很大一部分妇科医生愿意向抱怨更年期失调的妇女推荐HRT。然而, 卫生工作者（包括妇科医生）对HRT的认识相对较低。他们也担心风险。应作出更加协调一致地努力, 以便更好地传播关于HRT的信息。

Keywords:

• Awareness
• benefits
• health workers
• hormone replacement therapy
• potential risks

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for support from Jiaxing First People's Hospital, Jiaxing Second People's Hospital, Jiaxing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and The Affiliated Changzhou NO. 2 People’s Hospital with Nanjing Medical University. They would also like to thank all responders for their cooperation in filling out the questionnaire.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Jiaxing Municipal Science and Technology Bureau (2013AY21050–7).