Toolkit Developed for Diagnosis and Management of Menopause

A simple toolkit designed to help general practitioners (GP) diagnose and manage menopause is now available free of charge.

Created at Monash University (VIC, Australia), the "Practitioner Toolkit for Managing the Menopause" is the world’s first such kit, designed for GPs to use with women from the age of 40. The research team, led by Prof. Susan Davis, combined existing research on menopause, diagnostic algorithms, and extensive clinical experience to develop the diagnostic tool. It also helps the GP work through a patient’s medical history and risk factors to arrive at an optimal solution.

The toolkit fills the void of clear guidelines on diagnosis and management, equipping primary-care physicians, as well as nurses, with the fundamentals to provide more effective care for women. “There are many detailed guidelines available on menopause but the reality is that most GPs don’t have the time to work through a 40 page report [...] with a patient,” said Prof. Davis, “Based on feedback from patients and doctors we realized there’s widespread confusion." Also, "With many recent medical graduates receiving little training in this area, we realized there was a clear need for simple and practical guidelines,” she added.

Menopausal symptoms vary widely from none at all to debilitating, making a straightforward diagnosis difficult. "Every woman has her own individual experience of menopause and that sometimes makes it tricky to diagnose," said Prof. Davis. The kit includes a flow chart of standardized questions for doctors to ask in a routine consultation to help identify women who may be entering menopause. The kit also flags safety concerns, provides a list of hormone therapies approved by regulators in different countries, and lists non-hormonal therapies that have evidence to support their use. It also helps inform on benefits and risks of menopausal treatments. The kit is designed to work as well for a woman of age 41 in Madras as for one of age 48 in Manhattan, and the International Menopause Society is promoting its global use, stating that it is the first to present structured practical advice.

Jane Elliott, MD, said the toolkit was clear and accessible, making it ideal to use in GP consultations. Dr. Anna Fenton, a leading endocrinologist and president of the Australasian Menopause Society, also welcomed and recommended the toolkit: “In an area fraught with myths and misinformation, this toolkit provides concise and accurate information. The key messages are clear and the advice is practical and evidence-based,” said Dr. Fenton.

The paper on the kit was published online July 6, 2014, in the journal Climacteric.

Related Links:
Monash University
Menopause Toolkit for GPs