Shared decision-making is a fundamental part of person-centred care.

A Question Prompt List (QPL) is a list of questions about a health condition that people can use during their healthcare appointments. A QPL aims to help people put their concerns into words, to ask for the information they need, and to make communication easier.

This research team, led by Dr Melanie Gibson-Helm and Associate Professor Amanda Vincent, has developed and assessed Question Prompt Lists for polycystic ovary syndrome¹ and early menopause² which are now freely available:

https://www.monash.edu/medicine/sphpm/mchri/pcos/resources/pcos-question-prompt-list 

https://healthtalkaustralia.org/early-menopause-experiences-and-perspectives-of-women-and-health-professionals/overview-womens-experiences/resources-and-information-for-women/#a1

The main objective of this CRE-WHiRL project is to develop a Question Prompt List for infertility. Priority topics, preferred formats and content will be co-designed with women and healthcare providers, and involve surveys, interviews, thematic analysis and clinical testing. CRE guidelines will inform evidence-based content.

¹ Khan N, Vincent A, Boyle J, Burggraf M, Pillay M, Teede H, Gibson-Helm M. Development of a question prompt list for women with PCOS. Fertility and Sterility, 2018 110(3):514-522
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2018.04.028

² Yeganeh L, Khan N, Boyle J, Gibson-Helm M, Teede H, Vincent A. Development and evaluation of an early menopause question prompt list. Menopause 2020, 27(1):102-109 https://doi.org/10.1097/GME.0000000000001429

Project Lead: Dr. Rhonda Garad

Online resources are important yet generally poor quality, with limited usefulness to consumers. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome web resources were developed using best practice; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome apps and online resource development involved extensive research and co-design with consumers and health professionals. The AskPCOS app was supported by the Monash Institute of Medical Engineering, incorporating evidence-based information, symptom monitoring, health data recording and the Question Prompt List. This project will expand on previous qualitative research, co-design, website and app development to infertility and early menopause, leveraging AskPCOS App design expertise. The team, led by Dr. Rhonda Garad, will undertake usability testing and formal evaluation. Outputs will target consumers and health professionals, be fully accessible and shared with stakeholders including VARTA’s Your Fertility, POSAA, professional societies, reviewed annually and updated as necessary.

Project team: Professor Renata Kokanović (lead), Associate Professor Jacqui Boyle (clinical lead), Dr Kate Johnston-Ataata, Dr Rhonda Garad

Women’s experiences of reproductive health conditions vary with respect to diagnosis, information provision and access to treatment, in a wider sociocultural context. Experiences in the conditions being explored as part of CRE-WHIRL - Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, early menopause (EM)/premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) and infertility - can be physically and emotionally challenging. In CRE-WHIRL we build on our extensive health and illness experience work in EM/POI and explore experiences and support strategies in infertility. We will video and audio-record narrative interviews, using robust qualitative Oxford University Health Experiences Research Group methods adapted by Healthtalk Australia. Thematic summaries of interviews and individual narratives will provide experiential insights in infertility and be converted into accessible resources to promote person-centred care.