Objective: Despite their significant impact, women’s health issues like endometriosis and menopause are often underrecognized in primary care. To address this gap, NJAFP developed two continuing medical education (CME) programs to equip family physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants with evidence-based strategies for identifying, managing, and referring women with these complex conditions. In partnership with CE Outcomes, the programs were evaluated for their impact on provider competence, confidence, and patient care practices.
Methods: Two educational initiatives were delivered through in-person AAFP chapter meetings and online enduring formats, engaging over 1,600 primary care providers. Content emphasized evidence-based diagnostic and management approaches for endometriosis and menopausal symptoms. A Level 5 performance outcomes assessment included a one-month follow-up comparing 40 learners to 40 matched non-learners to evaluate practice change.
Results: Endometriosis: 98% of learners reported practice improvements such as enhanced history-taking and greater use of multidisciplinary teams. Learners were more likely to refer for fertility concerns and less likely to rely solely on imaging or exploratory surgery, potentially impacting over 5,000 patients monthly.
Menopause:94% of learners expressed increased confidence in managing menopausal symptoms, especially related to emotional health. Compared to non-learners, more learners employed culturally relevant communication techniques with 62% using motivational interviewing and provided translated materials to address patient hesitancy and language barriers.
Conclusions: These CME programs effectively improved provider knowledge, confidence, and culturally sensitive care practices in managing endometriosis and menopause. The case-based, communication-focused strategies are highly translatable to other organizations seeking to enhance women’s health. By integrating shared decision-making and culturally competent communication, healthcare systems can empower clinicians to better manage complex and often stigmatized conditions, resulting in improved outcomes for women.
Learning Objectives:
Identify key educational design strategies that can be used to address gaps in women’s health education for primary care providers.
Apply educational outcomes to inform the design of future CME initiatives targeting under addressed clinical topics, such as women’s health in the primary care setting.
Evaluate the translatability of case-based education models to future CME initiatives for primary care providers to increase confidence in managing women's health concerns including menopause and endometriosis.
