Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

Innovative Health Technologies (IHTs) in the context of women's midlife, have been defined as hormone replacement therapy (HRT), breast screening and osteoporosis screening. The research questions that this project aimed to answer were: how are the IHTs defined, assessed and communicated by women from diverse backgrounds, community ethnic and special interest groups and experience of the use of IHTs? what are the risk discourses used by women in their assessment of IHTs, their interaction with health care professionals and their decisions about IHTs, and what influences them? what are the risk discourses used by health care professionals practising in diverse health care settings, in their assessment of IHTs, in their interactions with patients and in their clinical management decisions related to IHTs, and what influences them? how do status, power and life situations impinge upon the development of joint accounts of risk and risk managment strategies in health care settings? The defined objectives of the research were as follows: to provide a rich qualitative account of women's and health professionals' awareness of and views about IHTs; to explore the diversity in midlife women's awareness, experience and views of these IHTs (the main strands of diversity being ethnicity, able-bodiedness, sexuality and socio-economic context); to explore the diversity in health professionals' awareness of and views on specific IHTs used by midlife women; to examine the attitudes and strategies used by health professionals and women in discussing the risks and benefits of these IHTs and the discourses that are drawn upon in developing joint accounts of decisions about health management strategies; to generate new understanding and theory about the interaction between 'expert' and lay views, which has implications for policy, planning, professional practice and the future design and sustainability of IHTs.

Main Topics:

This data collection contains transcripts of interviews and taped consultations relating to IHTs at women's midlife. Three main categories of data are included: interviews with health professionals: a range of health workers from selected research sites were interviewed, including: primary health care sites (GPs and practice nurses) and secondary health care sites - bone clinics, breast assessment clinics and HRT clinics (consultants, specialist registrars, specialist nurses, radiographers); interviews with women: the interviewees were selected through the above research sites (e.g. bone clinic, GP surgery) or through community organisations (e.g. ethnic, disabled or gay and lesbian organisations, Women's Institutes and guilds; taped consultations: a range of consultations with both doctors and nurses were taped in the above research sites, with health professionals responsible for activating the tape recorder. Some, but not all of the interviews with women triangulate with these recorded consultations (see List of Triangulations in user guide).

Purposive selection/case studies

Face-to-face interview

recorded consultations