Empowering women to have effective conversations about perimenopause with their healthcare providers
challenge hosted by ehealth venture
eHealth Venture, a digital health transformation hub, dedicated to fostering partnerships and leading initiatives that turn digital innovation into real-world healthcare improvements, has partnered with Hack Belgium Labs for the upcoming Hack Healthcare 2024 (October 23-24, Brussels).
Under the theme of “Ecosystem collaboration”, eHealth Venture brings the “Perimenopause literacy for effective conversations with healthcare professionals” challenge. The goal is to empower women navigating perimenopause and menopause, enhancing their ability to communicate with caregivers and healthcare providers about symptoms and management strategies. Increasing awareness and facilitating the exchange of health data are key factors to address this challenge.
To achieve this, it is crucial to involve a broad spectrum of stakeholders — from educational institutions and healthcare providers to pharmaceutical companies, technology innovators, and the consumer goods and retail industries.
💡 How can we reeducate healthcare providers, women, and their partners about perimenopause symptoms to enable effective conversations and provide the right support?
💡 In what ways can we help women engage in productive discussions with their healthcare professionals to ensure accurate treatment and facilitate long-term learning about menopause?
💡 How can we utilize social media influencers and role models to raise awareness and enhance visibility on this critical topic?
The challenge
In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that many healthcare professionals lack sufficient awareness of perimenopause symptoms and their profound impact on women’s lives. This gap in knowledge often leads to misdiagnosis, with menopause-related hormonal fluctuations frequently mistaken for conditions like burnout or depression. While there are some governmental efforts underway to address this issue, the lack of perimenopause education and awareness remains a significant bottleneck.
As a result, women often find themselves in the position of educating their healthcare providers, underscoring the urgent need for a bottom-up approach to improving medical knowledge on this issue. This real-world problem is twofold: a lack of awareness among healthcare professionals, coupled with limited understanding among women themselves, often results in misdiagnosis and inadequate follow-up care for managing symptoms effectively.
“When healthcare professionals are confronted with health-literate patients—women who speak up about their symptoms—we see that doctors tend to make an effort to upgrade their knowledge. We believe there is an opportunity to drive learning from the bottom up. The question is: how much can we enable women to have effective conversations with their healthcare professionals, not only to get the right treatment in the short term, but also to help healthcare professionals learn more about perimenopause and menopause in the long term?”
Ann Broché, CCO at E-Health Venture
This challenge addresses a crucial aspect of public health, recognizing that half of the population is female and that every woman will experience perimenopause or menopause at some point in her life. It is essential to ensure that women receive accurate information and appropriate treatment to manage the symptoms associated with these stages.
How can we ensure that women are provided with the knowledge and support they need to navigate this significant life transition without unnecessary suffering?
There is a significant link between managing menopause symptoms and all other challenges women face on a daily basis —balancing work, coping with stress, raising children, and maintaining a social life. This underscores the need to give greater attention to this issue.
Real-World problems we face in women’s health
Lack of knowledge diagnosis and follow-up to manage symptoms:
- On average, it takes women 12 to 14 months to recognize that symptoms –often appearing around the age of 45- are linked to perimenopause.
- A recent survey in the UK of 1,100 women revealed that 84% felt their doctor was unable to adequately address their questions.
- A study in the UK of 3,000 women conducted by Dr. Louise Newson found that over 60% had been inappropriately prescribed antidepressants for menopause-related low mood.
- A Belgian study by Securex, involving 2,400 women, revealed that 55.3% of those with menopausal symptoms experience difficulties at work.
Empowering women with knowledge and improving healthcare professional training are key steps towards closing this gap and ensuring women receive the appropriate care and support during this pivotal stage of life.
Exploring opportunities for innovative solutions
There are several avenues to enhance perimenopause understanding and communication for women and healthcare professionals:
- Empowering women: Develop resources to educate women and create platforms for women to share their experiences and support each other.
- Improving healthcare professionals training: Integrate comprehensive menopause education into medical and nursing curricula and provide ongoing professional development opportunities focusing on menopause literacy.
- Leveraging technology: Use AI, apps, online platforms to track symptoms and facilitate patient-HCP communication with objective data. Implement telehealth solutions for remote consultations and follow-ups.
- Collaborative initiatives: Partner with large organizations (healthcare, retail, insurance, etc) to promote menopause awareness campaigns.
“I love initiatives like Hack Healthcare hackathon because they produce tangible outcomes with practical implementations that can be quickly put into action. I truly believe that one of the key results of this event will be the development of channels to better inform women about their hormonal health and care.”
Ann Broché, CCO at E-Health Venture
Who needs to be at Hack Healthcare 2024 for women’s health solutions?
To truly educate and inform women, we need a diverse range of stakeholders involved in the workshop. Effective education doesn’t happen overnight; it requires sustained effort and multiple channels to reach girls and women.
- First-line healthcare providers: Engage doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other primary care professionals who interact with women regularly.
- Education system and school leaders: Integrate sessions on women’s health and perimenopause into school curricula. Develop programs and materials for students on female health topics in educational institutions.
- Industry:
– Pharmaceutical companies: Contribute with education, treatments and solutions for perimenopause symptoms.
– Retailers: Incorporate educational materials on women’s health into product packaging and in-store information. - Medtech – Medical technology companies: Provide innovative tools and technologies for tracking and managing perimenopause symptoms.
- Startups: Develop disruptive platforms, tools, and technologies to improve education and communication about perimenopause.
- Government:
– Health Ministers: Advocate for policies and support that enhance women’s health education and access.
– Government agencies: Support initiatives and funding for women’s health education and resources. - Social Media influencers: Help shape messaging and identify effective channels for reaching and educating women on social media.
- Marketing experts and consultants: Strategize on effective promotion and outreach methods to increase awareness and engagement.
- Patient advocacy groups and community leaders: Provide insights into the needs and challenges faced by women during perimenopause. Help mobilize local support and resources.
Each of these stakeholders plays a crucial role in ensuring that the hackathon addresses the diverse aspects of women’s health and contributes to meaningful solutions.
Do you think that Hack Healthcare has an opportunity to make a real impact in the Belgian healthcare ecosystem?
I really believe it does.
Firstly, Hack Healthcare has a significant impact because of its thorough process in defining the challenge. This process, which involves a diverse group of stakeholders—from experts to ecosystem workshops—ensures that the challenge is refined to address a real, critical need. Understanding this need and its impact fosters strong commitment to finding a solution.
Secondly, during the workshops, there is a high level of energy and engagement from talented individuals, supported by a well-structured process that generates valuable ideas. This environment is conducive to generating innovative ideas. At the end of the hackathon, presentations involve external experts who help refine the challenges and direct them to the right people and channels for further development.
Finally, after the event, Hack Belgian Labs provides substantial support to advance the projects. They help connect people, seek partnerships, and drive initiatives forward. Overall, the initiative combines innovative ideas with effective processes, leading to meaningful impact.
So I think that the initiative has both valuable ideas and effective processes to make a significant impact.
Let’s transform the future of women’s health in Belgium
By addressing these challenges and seizing these opportunities, we can significantly improve the perimenopause and menopause transition journey in Belgium. Join us in our mission to create a healthier future for all.
Catch the full interview here!
Dive into this conversation with Ana Luisa Romero and Ann Broche to learn the challenges women face and what opportunities are emerging in the Belgian healthcare ecosystem.
- Perimenopause, meaning “around menopause”, is the transitional period leading up to menopause. It can last 4-8 years, but it can vary from woman to woman. During perimenopause, a woman may experience irregular menstrual cycles, hot flashes, mood swings, sleep disturbances, and other symptoms due to fluctuating hormone levels, particularly estrogen.
- Menopause is defined as the point in time when a woman has gone 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period, marking the end of her reproductive years. By the time menopause is reached, estrogen and progesterone levels are very low, and the ovaries have stopped releasing eggs.
In summary, perimenopause is the transition phase leading up to menopause, marked by hormonal fluctuations and the onset of symptoms, while menopause is the point at which a woman has not had a period for 12 months, signifying the end of her reproductive years.
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