Over 40 million American women will enter their 40s in the next two decades, and the subject of menopause is gaining widespread attention. Many women are asking physicians for information about menopause and hormone therapy. Unfortunately, health professionals often know little about the normal menopause transition and may not be up-to-date on the risks and benefits of hormone therapy. The purpose of this SBIR is to develop and evaluate a CME-accredited CD-ROM program on menopause and hormone therapy for physicians. The high flexibility, interactivity, and control allowed by CD-ROM technology will allow for sophisticated presentation of audio, visual educational materials and vignettes, production of informational packets customized for patients, and continual updating of information. Based on years of research experience on menopause from the acclaimed Massachusetts Women's Health Study, the proposed investigators are particularly qualified to develop this program. With Phase aims completed, the specific aims of Phase II are: to finalize the content of the CD-ROM based on the summaries developed in Phase I; to work with SilverPlatter on the CD-ROM production; to obtain CME accreditation; to evaluate the CD-ROM in a randomized trial; and to develop a distribution plan with SilverPlatter.
With no competing products currently available and market potential of over 650,000 primary care physicians, 125 medical schools and 2,500 nursing programs in the United States alone, the proposed product has tremendous commercial viability. Worldwide distribution will be made possible through a collaboration with SilverPlatter Education, the premier publisher of education products with pre-existing market penetration in the medical community and an alliance with the American Medical Association for CME accreditation.
