Nurse interview helps women with treatment choice

By Geoff Michaels, | Health | 0 Comments

A study suggests that having an interview with a nurse helps women chose how to treat heavy periods.
Menorrhagia - or heavy menstrual bleeding - is one of the commonest reasons why women visit their doctor. It’s not life-threatening, but had a big impact on quality of life. It’s also a condition where there are many different options - no treatment, drug therapy or a range of surgical interventions including hysterectomy. How does a woman choose the right approach for her?

A group of almost 900 women in England with menorrhagia were assigned to either: standard care, standard care with information given in leaflet or videotape format, or an interview with a research nurse plus standard care. During the interview, they had an opportunity to clarify their treatment concerns and make an informed choice.

Hysterectomy rates were lower in the interview group than in the other groups, as were treatment costs. The interview allowed the women to express preferences; these were taken forward to the clinician consult - which, in the long term, helped the women to a more satisfactory outcome.