The feasibility of a CBT group therapy programme (MENOS) for NHS staff
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluating the feasibility of a CBT group therapy programme (MENOS) for NHS staff with problematic menopause symptoms.
IRAS ID
348461
Contact name
Katrina McLaughlin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen’s University Belfast
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 1 days
Research summary
Increasing numbers of staff in the National Health Service (NHS) are working through the menopause transition and reporting problematic menopausal symptoms that impact on their work and general quality of life. Many people receive pharmaceutical medication like Hormone Replacement therapy for their symptoms but recently alternative psychological interventions have been developed and tested. However there is limited research on psychological interventions for menopause symptoms with NHS staff in a health care setting. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recently added Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to its recommendations for the treatment of the menopause symptoms of hot flushes and night sweats. This study will be conducted to evaluate the feasibility of trialling a group therapy CBT programme for menopausal hot flushes and night sweats (MENOS) with NHS staff. This group programme entails education, psychological techniques and discussion. Participants will be recruited from NHS staff working in the Western Trust in Northern Ireland with problematic hot flushes and night sweats. The feasibility and acceptability of the group therapy CBT programme for Hot Flushes and Night Sweats will be evaluated by recruiting 40 staff members and then randomly splitting them into two groups. The first group will receive the CBT intervention of six two-hour weekly group therapy sessions delivered by a MENOS trained health professional. The second group called the control arm, will receive their usual care during the study but will be offered self-help CBT material for menopausal symptoms at the end of the study. Both groups complete surveys. The recruitment, intervention and collection of data is estimated to take ten months and data will be analysed for a further eight months. The recruitment and intervention will be conducted on a NHS site and the analysis of data will take place at Queen's University Belfast.
REC name
HSC REC A
REC reference
25/NI/0008
Date of REC Opinion
20 Feb 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion