Public release date: 18-Sep-2007

STANFORD, Calif. – Despite the huge publicity generated by a 2002 study on the potential dangers of hormone therapy for postmenopausal women, new research from the Stanford University School of Medicine found that only 29 percent of women surveyed knew about the study two years later.

Additionally, the women were able to correctly identify the possible benefits and risks linked to hormone therapy just 40 percent of the time.

Senior author Randall Stafford, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, said the new study points out that the medical profession hasn’t yet figured out an effective way of communicating crucial health information to patients.

The survey then asked what the women knew about specific risks and benefits associated with hormone therapy. Only 40 percent of the women answered more questions correctly than incorrectly. For example, 64 percent knew that hormones increased the risk of breast cancer, but just 9 percent knew the medication increased the risk for memory loss and 34 percent knew that it increased the risk for heart disease. The study did not penalize women for responses that reflected scientific uncertainty about the risks and benefits of hormone therapy.

Stafford said his study is indicative of a larger problem – namely, ensuring that people can make informed decisions about their medical care. “It’s a particularly relevant issue because of the increasing burden of chronic disease. Right now, we’re not successful in educating the population about health issues that will become increasingly common and increasingly complex in the future,” he said.