Making Informed Decisions 

By Sarah Hardy, Education Director

Women are faced with a number of health issues throughout their lives, especially during midlife. Decisions may need to be made concerning menopause, issues to do with sexuality and relationships, maintenance of health in the longer term and specific prevention of conditions such as osteoporosis and heart disease. As every woman is different, how will you know if you're making informed decisions? Gathering information, thinking about options, knowing what it is you value and attuning yourself to all that you have learned about your body will help you make decisions that are appropriate for you. Gathering information and talking with your health practitioner can assist you in making an informed decision. 

Choosing a Health Practitioner 

Developing a partnership with your health practitioner will depend on a level of trust that insists on: 

• Mutual respect 

• Clear communication 

• Shared responsibility 

While it may take time and effort to establish this partnership, in the end it will be in your best interests to choose carefully. When choosing a health practitioner you could take into account: 

• Their expertise 

• How accessible they are (eg location, appointment times and fees) 

• Their ability to listen, empathise and communicate skilfully 

• Their willingness to involve you in the decision making process around your health care

Why Evidence Matters 

Information about health can be obtained from a variety of sources: family, friends, the media as well as health care professionals. With the advent of the World Wide Web, information is available more readily, making it increasingly hard to judge competing claims. The task is even harder when health claims are made with the underlying purpose of promoting a particular product. 

Interpreting Clinical Trials 

It is more difficult than you would expect to prove that a particular treatment prevented something from happening or relieved a particular condition. The results from using a particular treatment should be better than no treatment at all or using something that is already known to be helpful. Remember there are all kinds of reasons why people recover or do not get sick (such as spontaneous remission and 'strong' genes). 

To filter out effects NOT related to the treatment itself, high quality scientific studies must have a similar group (control group) that did not receive the treatment but are similar in most other respects (anecdotal evidence can be persuasive but not conclusive). The riskier or more powerful the treatment being considered, the more important it becomes to understand the results of scientific studies. This understanding can then help you balance the risks and the benefits of a particular health care decision.

Resources to help you understand Clinical Trials 

A valuable guide has been published in Australia. "Smart Health Choices - How To Make Informed Health Decisions" is written by Judy Irwig, Les Irwig and Melissa Sweet and published by Allen & Urwin. This 1999 book provides a readable background to understanding and interpreting clinical trials and supports the idea of informed decision making by addressing such issues as: 

• Health advice can be harmful 

• Your body, your choice 

• Stories vs studies 

• Evaluating the evidence 

• Improving your health care 

At the end of the day, the principles underlying the questions are easy to grasp. This book will give you the added assurance of up-to-date scientifically informed decision making. 

Special acknowledgement: Some of the material from this article has been provided by Rick Hudson, Policy and Planning Unit - Ministry of Health, British Columbia, Canada

Open Letter to Women 

Sarah Hardy,
Director of Education
The Jean Hailes Foundation

It is often difficult to know how to judge competing claims when it comes to women's health. Yet again conflicting information about hormone (replacement) therapy has been in the news. So how can women know what to believe? 

As women navigate their way through the issues raised in the media about midlife health we should be encouraging women to become more media aware, clear about what is more relevant to them, the context of the information being presented and the media's need to capture our interest with headlines and dire warnings. The more confident women are, the more questions they will ask and the greater the empowerment to make informed decisions. 

I and other health educators note the generational shift from women being reactive to proactive when it comes to decisions about their health care. When a woman accesses health services she is not the sum of her illnesses but the sum of her wellness, life experiences and expectations. My hope is that women value their health enough to continue to ask, question and trust what they believe is best for them. 

Centre for Research Excellence at The Jean Hailes Foundation

The highly prestigious grant awarded every five years is a major acknowledgement by the Federal Government of The Foundation's significant contribution to the field of women's health in research, education and training, and clinical services. 

Over the next five years funding from the grant will provide opportunity for comprehensive and multidisciplinary research into the major health issues affecting Australian women from the mid reproductive years. 

The research will consider multiple aspects of women's midlife health including the major health consequences of treatment for breast cancer and how to deal with them, particularly menopausal symptoms; the links between oestrogen and androgens and cardiovascular disease, dementia and osteoarthritis; and new ways of assessing sexual health in women of all ages. 

The outcomes of this research will form the basis of national education programs for health care providers and the community.

The team of chief investigators is headed by: 

• Associate Professor Susan Davis, Director of The Jean Hailes Foundation Research Unit. 

The team of investigators includes: 

• Dr Robin Bell, Women's Health Epidemiologist 

• Professor Jayashri Kulkarni, Professor of Psychiatry, The Alfred Hospital 

• Professor Evan Simpson Director, Prince Henry's Institute of Medical Research 

• Associate Professor Flavia Cicuttini, Research Rheumatologist, Monash University 

• Professor Henry Burger AO, Director, The Jean Hailes Foundation 

• Ms Janet Michelmore AO, Director, The Jean Hailes Foundation.

 The Jean Hailes Foundation wants every woman in Australia to benefit from this research and will specifically address neglected areas that are major causes of ill health amongst women in our communities. Top priority will be to locate outcomes, which will significantly improve the health and quality of life of every woman in the Australian community, across all social, ethnic and geographic divides.

Could you - swim for your life? 

Beginners can opt for the 400 metre 'swim for your life'. The serious swimmer can try the Nicole Livingstone 1.2km classic swim. For the really adventurous (or crazy) there is the 4km long distance swim.

There are fantastic prizes to be won, including a weekend for two at Club Med Lindeman Island, Lane 4 wetsuits as well as prizes for all race finishers. The swim will be held at the Brighton Life Saving Club (Melway Ref 67 C12)10am on Saturday 14 December. Registration is between 8 and 9:30 at Middle Brighton Baths (Melway Ref 67 C10) Entry still available on the day. Cost is $35.

There will be a free barbeque for all participants and supporters after the race. Race entry forms and further information is available to download from the website: www.swimforyourlife.asn.au. The Jean Hailes Foundation gratefully acknowledges the following supporters of the 'Swim For Your Life' Charity Event:

In particular, The Foundation wishes to thank Gina Harris, Director of Cousins Travel, for her long time support and her vision in creating a fun athletic event aimed at raising money for and awareness of importance of women's health.

The Jean Hailes Foundation magazine is designed to be informative and educational. It is not intended that The Jean Hailes Foundation magazine provide specific medical advice or replace advice from your health professional. The Jean Hailes Foundation does not accept any liability to any person for the information or advice (or the use of information or advice) which is provided in this magazine or incorporated into it by reference. Information is provided on the basis that all persons reading the magazine undertake responsibility for assessing the relevance and accuracy of its content. 

© The Jean Hailes Foundation. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under copyright legislation, no part may be reproduced or reused for any commercial purposes.

Note: This article is an archive. Whilst the Jean Hailes Foundation for Women’s Health has made every effort to ensure this information was accurate at the time of publication, the article content has not been updated since the date listed below.

Content December 07, 2002