Management of menopause: a survey of physicians from the Middle East and Africa

Abstract

Objective

This study evaluated physicians’ perceptions, practices, confidence, comfort level and prior training in managing menopause.

Methods

A survey was conducted of a convenience sample of physicians from the Middle East and Africa (MEA) in 2019. We covered knowledge of symptoms, menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), other menopause management strategies and prior training in menopause medicine.

Results

Of the 254 participants, 64.2% were seniors in family medicine (36.4%), endocrinology (36.0%), gynecology (15.8%) and internal medicine (13.8%). Fewer than one-third (28.8%) correctly identified the diagnostic criteria of menopause. Almost all recognized vasomotor symptoms (99.5%), vaginal dryness (96.2%) and mood disturbance (94.3%), but to a lesser extent other symptoms. Inconsistency and critical gaps were identified in responses to competence questions on six case studies. They recalled having occasional (43.2%) or no training (19.4%) in menopause medicine and rated their preparedness to treat menopause widely. A total of 66.2% agreed that training is very important. Variation between specialties was identified.

Conclusion

Many physicians recognize the importance of education in menopause management, but their responses revealed critical knowledge gaps that underscored the need for comprehensive, evidence-based menopause management.

摘要

目的: 本研究评估了医生在管理绝经方面的认知、实践、信心、舒适度和前期培训。

方法: 在2019年对中东和非洲(MEA)医生的通过方便抽样进行调查。我们涵盖了对于症状的了解、绝经激素治疗(MHT)、其他绝经管理策略以及绝经治疗的前期培训。

结果: 254名参与者中, 全科(36.4%)、内分泌科(36.0%)、妇科(15.8%)、内科(13.8%)的专业医生占64.2%。不到三分之一(28.8%)的人正确知道绝经的诊断标准。几乎所有人都能辨认出血管舒缩症状(99.5%)、阴道干涩(96.2%)和情绪障碍(94.3%), 但对其他症状的了解更少。在对六个病例研究的能力问题的回答中, 发现了不一致和严重的差距。他们回忆说, 他们偶尔(43.2%)或没有接受过绝经医学培训(19.4%), 并普遍认为自己准备进行绝经治疗。66.2%的受访者认为培训非常重要。确定了不同专业之间存在差异。

结论: 许多医生认识到了绝经管理教育的重要性, 但他们的回答揭示出了知识上的差距, 这强调了全面、循证的绝经管理的必要性。

Keywords:

• Estrogen
• menopause
• osteoporosis
• vasomotor symptoms
• menopause management
• attitude
• knowledge
• menopausal hormone therapy

Data availability

The study’s raw data are available in spreadsheet format and may be shared for reasonable requests to the corresponding author.

Acknowledgements

The authors are most grateful to all colleagues who participated in the survey. The named authors meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship of this article (conception, data collection and drafting/revision of the article). They take responsibility for the integrity of the work and have given final approval for the manuscript version. The Institutional Review Board of Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, UAE approved the study. Informed consent was received from the participants before they took the questionnaire. All data were analyzed anonymously.

Potential conflict of interest

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Source of funding

No funding was received for this study.