A Patient Portal Intervention for Menopause Knowledge and Shared Decision-Making.

Area of Science:

• Women's Health
• Health Informatics
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Menopause involves significant changes and symptoms requiring informed decisions.
• Enhanced patient understanding and provider discussions are crucial for managing menopause and associated conditions.
• Patient portals present a promising avenue for improving menopause knowledge and shared decision-making (SDM).

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the feasibility of using the "My HealtheVet" patient portal's secure messaging (SM) function for a menopause educational intervention.
• To measure the impact of this intervention on knowledge and SDM among women veterans.
• To assess the potential of patient portals for improving menopause care.

Main Methods:

• A quality improvement pilot study involving women veterans of menopausal age.
• An educational intervention delivered via weekly SMs on menopause symptoms and treatments through the VA Patient Portal.
• Comparison between an intervention group and a control group from neighboring VA facilities.
• Post-intervention surveys to assess menopause knowledge, SDM, and program satisfaction.

Main Results:

• This study protocol is designed to assess the impact of an innovative patient portal intervention.
• It aims to improve patient knowledge and SDM in menopause management.
• The study will evaluate the effectiveness of secure messaging for delivering menopause education.

Conclusions:

• This research is among the first to evaluate patient portal interventions for enhancing menopause knowledge and SDM.
• Successful implementation could demonstrate "meaningful use" of patient portals.
• The program offers a scalable and timely resource for improving menopause care through SDM.