Access to hormone replacement therapy is uneven across the UK. Which products a woman can obtain often depends on where she lives, shaped by conflicting national guidance, local formulary decisions and economic factors rather than clinical need. As more women live well beyond menopause, that inequity works against the goal of personalised menopause care.
To build agreement on how to close the gap, UK healthcare professionals with expertise in menopause care developed 40 statements across four topics covering access to and choice of HRT products. The statements were tested through a modified Delphi consensus, with a survey completed by 137 UK healthcare professionals. Consensus was pre-specified at 75% agreement.
All 40 statements reached consensus, 37 of them at agreement of 90% or above. From these, the panel developed nine recommendations intended to improve equity of access to licensed treatment options and to support the individualised care that national guidance calls for.
This consensus was developed using the modified Delphi method. The strong levels of agreement point to a clear appetite among clinicians to change how menopause care is delivered across the UK.
Briggs P, et al. Post Reproductive Health, 2022; 28(2): 71–78. DOI: 10.1177/20533691221084827
