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Table 2 Comparison of call characteristics between menopause-related calls about hormone therapy and herbal medicines across three time periods

From: Long term impact of the WHI studies on information-seeking and decision-making in menopause symptoms management: a longitudinal analysis of questions to a medicines call centre

Characteristics

Queensland Medication Helpline

NPS Medicines Line

Time 1

Time 2

Time 3

HT only

(n = 680)

HT and HM

(n = 19)

HM only

(n = 43)

HT and HMa

(n = 126)

HT only

(n = 782)

HT and HM

(n = 31)

HM only

(n = 148)

Caller age, years

Mean (SD)

56.7 (9.8)

53.3 (7.9)

56.6 (5.8)

59.5 (8.5)

58.6 (10.6)

53.3 (9.4)

56.0 (5.8)

Caller gender, %

Male

3.8

-

9.3

4.0

3.3

3.2

2.7

Female

94.4

100.0

88.4

95.2

96.7

96.8

97.3

Patients age, years

Mean (SD)

57.4 (9.9)

53.1 (7.5)

56.3 (5.8)

59.9 (8.9)

58.8 (10.5)

54.0 (8.7)

55.9 (5.8)

Relationship of caller, %

Self

89.1

94.7

86.0

88.9

95.8

96.8

91.2

Partner

2.1

-

4.7

4.0

1.8

3.2

2.0

Client (carer/patient)

1.9

5.3

2.3

-

1.3

-

4.1

Child/friend/other family

2.6

-

7.0

1.6

0.8

-

1.4

Parent

1.3

-

-

0.8

0.4

-

1.4

Call motivation, %

Inadequate information

13.7

10.5

23.3

9.5

37.2

41.9

44.6

Second opinion

14.6

21.1

14.0

8.7

24.4

25.8

24.3

Worrying symptom

23.5

5.3

9.3

4.8

21.2

19.4

11.5

Conflicting information

7.9

5.3

7.0

0.8

9.3

-

8.1

Other

13.1

26.3

11.6

1.6

6.4

12.9

7.4

Media

6.9

10.5

14.0

66.7

1.0

-

3.4

Enquiry Type, %b

Side effects

25.8

17.1

17.5

16.2

25.8

19.4

18.2

Pragmatics of use

15.6

20.9

22.2

13.8

15.6

9.7

14.2

Treatment/prophylaxis

13.8

9.3

11.1

8.4

13.8

12.9

6.8

Risk/benefit

12.4

14.0

17.5

46.7

12.4

19.4

16.9

Logistics and miscellaneous

13.1

8.5

9.5

8.4

13.1

12.9

0.7

Mechanism/profile

11.9

17.8

17.5

4.2

11.9

9.7

8.1

Interaction

7.4

12.4

4.8

2.4

7.4

12.9

34.5

ARIA index, relative call frequencyc

Highly accessible

1.13

1.08

1.19

1.16

1.23

1.23

1.17

Accessible

0.53

0.83

0.38

0.46

0.42

0.16

0.81

Moderately accessible

0.51

0.21

-

0.44

0.31

1.08

0.30

Remote

0.43

-

1.77

-

1.00

-

-

Very remote

0.45

1.15

-

0.40

0.90

-

-

  1. Time 1 = pre-the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) 2002 study (1996 – 9 July 2002), Time 2 = post-WHI 2002 (10 July – 19 September 2002), Time 3 = September 2002 – June 2010, HT = hormone therapy, HM = herbal medicine, SD = standard deviation, ARIA = Accessibility Remoteness Index of Australia
  2. Aonly two calls asking about hormone therapy and herbal medicines in Time 2
  3. bSome calls from Queensland Medication Helpline have more than one question recorded. The proportion in this variable reflects the proportion of the number of enquiry type to total enquiry type (Time 1, number of questions (n) HT only = 1,547, HT and HM = 63, HM only = 129; Time 2, n HT and HM = 170)
  4. cRelative call frequency was calculated by dividing the proportion of calls by the proportion of population in the specific ARIA index
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