title: Knowledge of clinical trials regarding hormone therapy and likelihood of prescribing hormone therapy.
abstract: The aim of the study was to examine whether physicians who are better informed about large, published hormone therapy (HT) trials (eg, the Women's Health Initiative) are more likely to prescribe HT for menopausal symptoms.
  
  
  
  US obstetricians/gynecologists and primary care physicians completed a 15- to 20-minute Internet-based survey. Knowledge was assessed via nine true-false statements about HT trials (range: 0-9). Prescribing practices were assessed via six case studies with a seven-point response scale of "extremely unlikely" to "extremely likely" in relation to treatment options (range: 6-42). The primary analysis examined the correlation between HT trial knowledge and likelihood of prescribing HT. Secondary analyses gauged knowledge and prescribing practices based on practice type, sex, and years in practice.
  
  
  
  Among 501 physicians who completed the survey (representing 10.7% of those invited; median age: 51.0 y; female: 26.9%; obstetricians/gynecologists: 49.9%; median 19.0 y in practice), HT knowledge (mean [SD] 3.8 [2.3]), and prescribing (mean [SD] 24.5 [5.6]) exhibited a statistically significant, moderate positive correlation (0.30; 95% CI, 0.21-0.37; P < 0.0001). Obstetricians/gynecologists were significantly (P < 0.0001) more knowledgeable and more likely to prescribe HT than primary care physicians. Male physicians were more likely (P < 0.05) to prescribe HT but not more knowledgeable about it than female physicians. Knowledge (but not likelihood of prescribing) significantly increased as a function of years in practice.
  
  
  
  Physicians who are more knowledgeable about large, published HT trials are more likely to prescribe HT for menopausal symptoms.
authors: 1Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 2University of California, San Francisco, CA 3East Bay Physicians Medical Group, Berkeley, CA 4Pfizer Inc, New York, NY 5Pfizer Inc, Groton, CT 6Pfizer Ltd, Tadworth, Surrey, UK.
authors: Hugh S
authors: HS
authors: Taylor
authors: Risa
authors: R
authors: Kagan
authors: Corrado J
authors: CJ
authors: Altomare
authors: Susannah
authors: S
authors: Cort
authors: Andrew G
authors: AG
authors: Bushmakin
authors: Lucy
authors: L
authors: Abraham
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D019584:Hot Flashes / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D016387:Women's Health