Women's trust in and use of information sources in the treatment of menopausal symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Frequent shifts in expert opinion over whether or not women should use hormone therapy (HT) or another menopausal treatment have left women in a difficult position; they must determine where they can obtain trustworthy menopause information. In this study, conducted 10-12 months after the Women's Health Initiative study first published results, we identified sources women use for information about menopause treatments, identified how trust-related dimensions (trustworthiness, knowledge, helpfulness, bias, and vested interest) influenced use of these sources, and determined how these trust dimensions varied with women's HT use status.

METHODS: A total of 765 women >45 and <61 years of age from a Midwestern managed care organization responded to a survey. Trust dimensions regarding family, friends, physicians, pharmacists, other health care providers (HCP), and various media as sources of menopause information, and use of these sources for menopause information were examined.

RESULTS: Women ranked physicians significantly higher than pharmacists and other HCP for trustworthiness, helpfulness, and knowledgeability. Perceived bias, knowledgeability, and helpfulness showed the strongest influence on trust in physician as well as nonpharmacist HCP. Menopause stage, HT use status, and helpfulness influenced use of physician for information. Helpfulness and knowledgeability influenced trust in the pharmacist, whereas actual use was predicated on having used HT, trust, and helpfulness.

CONCLUSIONS: Women who had never used HT trusted HCP less. HCP have important roles in providing menopause information to perimenopausal women. HCP may need to reach out and initiate these important discussions with their patients.