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Menopause Rating Scale as a screening tool in rural Turkey
Selma Metintas1, Inci Arýkan, Cemalettin Kalyoncu
1Eskisehir Osmangazi University Medical Faculty, Public Health Department, Turkey. selmamet@ogu.edu.tr
Rural and Remote Health
|April 2, 2010
Summary
The Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) effectively screens rural Turkish women for severe menopausal symptoms, aiding primary healthcare professionals in identifying those needing specialist referral. This reliable tool improves access to care for underserved populations.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Health
- Women's Health
- Primary Healthcare Research
Background:
- Rural Turkish women face healthcare access barriers including distance, financial constraints, low education, and gender discrimination.
- Severe menopausal symptoms significantly impact quality of life and necessitate accessible screening tools.
- The Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) is a potential instrument for primary healthcare settings to identify women with significant menopausal complaints.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the Turkish version of the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) for screening severe menopausal symptoms in rural Turkish women.
- To assess the reliability and diagnostic accuracy of the MRS for referral decisions.
- To determine the prevalence of severe menopausal symptoms in this population.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 600 women utilized the Turkish MRS and Kupperman index to assess symptom severity.
- Test-retest reliability was established using Cronbach's alpha; validity was determined by sensitivity and specificity analyses.
- Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis identified optimal cut-off scores for referral.
Main Results:
- A strong positive correlation (r=0.86) was found between the MRS and the Kupperman index.
- An MRS score of 16 demonstrated 60% sensitivity and 60% specificity for predicting gynecologist visits due to symptom severity.
- Higher MRS scores were associated with self-reported poor general health, older age, chronic conditions, dysmenorrhea, and multiple miscarriages.
Conclusions:
- The MRS is a valid, reliable, and user-friendly screening tool for identifying severe menopausal symptoms in rural Turkish women.
- Primary healthcare professionals can utilize the MRS to effectively identify women requiring referral to secondary healthcare services.
- Implementing MRS screening can improve healthcare access and management for rural women experiencing significant menopausal distress.
