Health professionals' knowledge of women's health care

Until 1986, the only issues in women's health which received direct attention were those related to childbearing. At that time the National Institutes of Health made inclusion of women in research a criteria for funding. Since then, the knowledge base to guide disease prevention and treatment of women has grown dramatically. Unfortunately, the incorporation of these data into clinical practice has been much slower. The purpose of this needs assessment was to establish a comprehensive data base on which future programming decisions could be based. Areas of interest identified by health care providers included stress reduction, breast health, prevention of heart disease, and osteoporosis. Other topics that emerged were menopause and reproduction issues, cancer prevention, domestic violence, substance abuse, nutrition, and weight control. These data suggest topics for future programming.