Source Of Information For Women Research Articles

A survey of women's preferences regarding alternative surgical treatments for menorrhagia.

BACKGROUND: Menorrhagia represents a major health burden to a large number of women in the UK. A range of medical and surgical treatments is now available for the condition, but each has its own advantages and limitations. METHODS: A postal survey was undertaken of women with apparently uncomplicated menorrhagia referred to one of two NHS hospitals. The aim was to elicit women's preferences for the characteristics of surgical treatment and, specifically, to assess how they traded-off the characteristics of hysterectomy and minimal access surgery. RESULTS: A total of 221 women returned their questionnaire and were included in the study (59% of those sent out). The characteristics most frequently rated as 'very important' were getting back to usual activities as soon as possible (57%), experiencing the least pain and discomfort (46%), spending a short time in hospital (46%) and stopping periods for good (43%). The single characteristic most frequently rated as the most important by women was stopping periods for good (28%). Similar proportions of women preferred abdominal hysterectomy (43%) and endometrial resection (41%) when these were described to them. When asked to think about specific treatments of which they were aware, strong positive (43%) and negative (42%) preferences were indicated. Women's main information source was their general practitioner (70%), but only 44% considered themselves well-informed about menorrhagia and its treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Many women referred to hospital with menorrhagia have conflicting objectives for treatment, feel under-informed about therapies and have not formed treatment preferences. It is important to develop well-structured and accessible sources of information for women and methods to elicit their treatment preferences, and to evaluate the impact of such tools on treatment selection and outcomes.

Promotion of folate for the prevention of neural tube defects: knowledge and use of periconceptional folic acid supplements in Western Australia, 1992 to 1995

To assess changes in knowledge and use of folic acid supplements in relation to a statewide health promotion project for the prevention of neural tube defects, we surveyed general practitioners, pharmacists, women of child-bearing age and pregnant women in Western Australia. We also collected data on wholesale sales of folic acid supplements. By the end of the project, 56.5 per cent of general practitioner respondents knew that the recommended dose of folic acid was 0.5 mg and 70 per cent offered folic acid supplements to women planning pregnancy, 82.5 per cent of responding pharmacists knew the recommended dose, and 87.5 per cent reported an increase in sales of 0.5 mg folic acid. Wholesale sales of 0.5 mg folic acid increased markedly in Western Australia compared with other states. From shopping centre surveys of women of child-bearing age we estimated that their knowledge of the association between folate and spina bifida increased from 8.2 per cent before the project to 67.5 per cent 2.5 years later, and doctors were a major source of information for women. In a 1995 survey of a sample of pregnant women, 43.1 per cent with planned pregnancies had taken folic acid supplements periconceptionally, compared with 19.1 per cent in a similar survey in 1993.

Information needs and sources of information for women with breast cancer: a follow-up study.

This paper reports a study which examined the specific information needs and sources of information for 105 women with breast cancer at two time points, the time of diagnosis and a mean of 21 months from diagnosis. At diagnosis the priority information needs concerned survival issues. Further from diagnosis survival issues were still a concern, but information about the risk to family members of getting breast cancer showed a significant increase in importance. Information about sexual attractiveness was ranked last at both the newly diagnosed and follow-up stages. Information sources at the time of diagnosis centred around the specialist breast care service, while further from diagnosis few professional or voluntary sector sources were utilized, with women receiving most of their information from media sources such as women's magazines. The relevance of these findings for nurses and other health care professionals is discussed.