Dietz Noella A, Mijares-Cantrell Tatiana, Acevedo Daisy, Annane Debra, Rodriguez Remberto, Caralis Panagiota, Levis Silvina
a Department of Public Health Sciences , University of Miami Miller School of Medicine , Miami , Florida , USA.
b Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center , University of Miami Miller School of Medicine , Miami , Florida , USA.
Women Health. 2018 Sep;58(8):898-914. doi: 10.1080/03630242.2017.1363123. Epub 2017 Sep 5.
The increasing number and older age of women Veterans receiving care at Veterans Health Administration (VHA) requires health-care providers to adjust to their changing patient population. We explored women Veterans' self-reported knowledge of menopause, current/preferred sources of menopausal health information, and perceptions/barriers regarding treatment of menopausal symptoms. Three focus groups were conducted at two South Florida VHA facilities in 2014, which included 30 women Veterans (aged 45-60 years) who visited VHA primary care clinics at least once in the past year. Participants reported using various sources to obtain general and menopausal health information, particularly family, friends, and the internet. Some women also had discussions with their health-care providers, but believed not all VHA providers were knowledgeable about menopause. Most preferred older female providers, thinking they were better informed about menopausal issues. Women favored complementary/alternative therapies and were against using hormone therapy (HT) for symptom relief, although they felt they were insufficiently informed about HT. Menopausal-age women are the fastest growing group at VHA. To provide better care and enhance their experiences, the VHA must educate all primary care providers about menopausal care and strive to address women Veterans' menopausal concerns and preferences.
在退伍军人健康管理局（VHA）接受治疗的女性退伍军人数量不断增加且年龄越来越大，这就要求医疗服务提供者适应不断变化的患者群体。我们探讨了女性退伍军人自我报告的更年期知识、更年期健康信息的当前/首选来源，以及她们对更年期症状治疗的看法/障碍。2014年在佛罗里达州南部的两个VHA机构进行了三个焦点小组访谈，其中包括30名女性退伍军人（年龄在45 - 60岁之间），她们在过去一年中至少去过一次VHA初级保健诊所。参与者报告称使用各种来源获取一般和更年期健康信息，特别是家人、朋友和互联网。一些女性也与她们的医疗服务提供者进行了讨论，但认为并非所有VHA提供者都了解更年期知识。大多数人更喜欢年长的女性提供者，认为她们对更年期问题了解得更多。女性倾向于补充/替代疗法，反对使用激素疗法（HT）来缓解症状，尽管她们觉得自己对HT了解不足。更年期年龄的女性是VHA中增长最快的群体。为了提供更好的护理并改善她们的就医体验，VHA必须对所有初级保健提供者进行更年期护理方面的教育，并努力解决女性退伍军人的更年期问题和偏好。
