ABSTRACT
Background: Systemic hormone therapy (HT) is effective for treating menopausal symptoms but also confers risks. Therefore, experts have developed clinical guidelines for its use.
Purpose: We assessed primary care guideline adherence in prescribing systemic HT, and associations between adherence and provider characteristics, in four Veterans Health Administration (VA) facilities.
Methods: We abstracted medical records associated with new and renewal systemic HT prescriptions examining adherence to guidelines for documenting indications and contraindications; prescribing appropriate dosages; and prescribing progesterone.
Results: Average guideline adherence was 58%. Among new prescriptions, 74% documented a guideline-adherent indication and 28% documented absence of contraindications. Among renewals, 39% documented a guideline-adherent indication. In prescribing an appropriate dose, 45% of new prescriptions were guideline-adherent. Among renewal prescriptions with conjugated equine estrogen doses >=0.625 mg or equivalent, 16% documented the dosing rationale. Among 116 prescriptions for systemic estrogen in women with a uterus, progesterone was not prescribed in 8.
Conclusions: Guideline adherence in prescribing systemic HT was low among VA primary care providers. Failures to coprescribe progesterone put women at increased risk for endometrial cancer.
Implications: Intervention development is urgently needed to improve guideline adherence among primary care prescribers of systemic HT for menopause. Similar assessments should be conducted in community settings.