Petition Make menopause a mandatory part of the curriculum for all healthcare sciences and medical students.
Menopause is experienced by approximately 50% of the population. There are a wide variety of symptoms and long term health risks associated with it which can significantly impact physical and mental health, and which for some people can affect their ability to work, socialise, and maintain good health and well being.
In spite of this, education about menopause during healthcare and medical training programs in Wales is minimal, and there is no mandatory requirement for including this topic.
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It is not just doctors who will care for people experiencing perimenopause and menopause symptoms. As such, as well as calling for all medical students to be taught about menopause symptom and interventions, we also call for all students of healthcare sciences in Wales to be educated. Nurses, physiotherapists, dentists, optometrists, pharmacists, radiographers, ODPs, speech and language therapists, and occupational therapists will all encounter people experiencing menopause in their professional practice. Mandatory education will enable greater confidence and competence in identifying perimenopause/menopause, and improve outcomes for patients.
Promptly identifying perimenopause/menopause can enable healthcare and medical professionals to empower patients to work in partnership to manage their own health effectively, minimise waste through unnecessary prescribing, and reduce repeat appointments and unnecessary referrals at a time where resourcing in the Welsh NHS is under strain.
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