Primary health care is the first level of health care where many women with climacteric symptoms seek help, and nurses should be equipped with the knowledge and skills to care for and guide women through this critical life transition. The aim of the study was to gain an overview of nursesâ experiences and needs in counselling climacteric women in daily nursing practice. A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews. Family nurses observed that patients came to appointments with multiple health problems that they did not normally associate with the climacteric period. Nurses felt uncertain and found counselling middle-aged women challenging. They promoted a healthy lifestyle with physical activity to normalise body weight, prevent osteoporosis, and maintain musculoskeletal function. They also advocated needs-based nutrition to improve the quality of life of middle-aged women, reduce anxiety and heart palpitations, and achieve hormonal balance. All nurses emphasised the need to improve their knowledge of collecting medical history to identify menopausal symptoms; some nurses expressed their desire for training in motivational communication and counselling techniques, but relevant opportunities for nurses were lacking. Several needs were mentioned, including yoga exercises and other tools to help to alleviate patientsâ sleep or mood problems, financial compensation, informational leaflets, and a single website dedicated to womenâs health and well-being as a useful tool for both health professionals and patients.
Marelle Grünthal-Drell (Thu,) studied this question.
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