Comfort Level of Current Physical Therapist Students in Addressing Sexual Issues With Patients

Dockter, Mary; Ulmer, Emma; Wulf, Cailey; Gunderson, M.J.; Bornhorst, Jordan; Joneson, Alissa; Abraham, Karen; Reisch, Rebecca

doi:10.1097/jwh.0000000000000200

Cited by 2 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…11 A recent study of physical therapist (PT) students' comfort levels indicated that less than 50% of respondents felt they possessed the necessary skills to address sexual issues and only 23.6% were likely to initiate discussions with patients indicating a potential link between confidence and initiation. 12 Other studies of PTs' comfort levels have demonstrated similar results, 13,14 which is a concern as PTs often provide care to patients who are recovering from various medical conditions that can affect a patient's sexual health.…”

Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 85%

“…The survey was consistent with one used in a previous study, 12 which was originally based on a survey created by Abraham et al 18 Minor edits were made to reflect both OT- and PT-specific education. For example, clinical education experience was edited to include fieldwork, and clinical instructor to include preceptor.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…17 A survey by Areskoug-Josefsson et al 17 found that OT students were 2.3 times more comfortable than PT students with the statement, “I feel comfortable discussing specific sexual activities with future patients.” Findings on the comfort level of PT students have ranged from 32.5% 18 to 54.5%, 19 with 95% reporting a willingness to address if the patient initiated the conversation. 12,19 Although more comfortable discussing sexual health, OT students felt they needed more time devoted to discussing sexual health in their program. 20 Despite OT students being more comfortable discussing sexual health with patients than PT students, both professions still rate their overall comfort level as low as compared with other health care professionals.…”

Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…12,14 Evidence on other areas of demographic information, including age, geographical location for attending graduate school, and race, is limited with a recent study finding no association between location of the education program, religious denomination, race, or year in school. 12 Because patients are unlikely to initiate discussion on sexual health concerns, it is crucial that both OTs and PTs are comfortable communicating with patients about sexual health. erefore, it is important to study the comfort level and perceived barriers of OT and PT students in discussing sexual health issues with patients as increased comfort levels are a precursor to providers' willingness to initiate conversations related to sexual health.…”

Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

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Comfort Level of Occupational and Physical Therapist Students in Addressing Sexual Issues With Patients

Dockter¹,

Parker²,

Gebeke³

et al. 2022

JOPTE

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Introduction. Addressing a patient's sexuality and sexual health is an important component of holistic health care, but there are several challenges affecting students' comfort levels. Studies have indicated that patients want to talk about sexual issues, but there is a lack of conversation initiation from the health care providers. Although there is research to indicate that occupational therapists (OTs) are more comfortable than physical therapists (PTs) in discussing sexual issues, both professions report a lack of content within their respective programs. e purpose of this study was to determine comfort levels of OTand PTstudents when discussing and addressing sexual issues, as well as demographic factors that might influence comfort level and perceived barriers. Methods. A survey was sent to OT and PT students from 3 different universities inquiring as to the respondent's demographics, academic and clinical training, comfort level with various patient scenarios, and perceived barriers to addressing sexual issues. Mann -Whitney U and Kruskal -Wallis statistical tests were used to analyze the differences in comfort levels between groups of students, and open ended questions were coded into themes based on similarity and frequency of responses. Results. A total of 128 students completed the survey. ird-year students, regardless of professional program, were more comfortable addressing sexual issues compared with first-year students. e most common barriers to addressing sexual issues with patients included lack of experience and lack of knowledge. Discussion and Conclusion. Overall, the comfort level was affected by age, academic year, personal demographics, and perceived confidence. Neither geographical location nor religious background had a significant influence on student comfort level.

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Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Comfort Level of Occupational and Physical Therapist Students in Addressing Sexual Issues With Patients

Dockter¹,

Parker²,

Gebeke³

et al. 2022

JOPTE

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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The Pelvic Health Curricular Exposure Scale (PHCES): A Survey of Physical Therapy Students’ Comfort Discussing Sexual Health

Levay,

Hall-Bibb

2024

Journal of Women's &Amp; Pelvic Health Physical Therapy

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Background: As holistic, autonomous health care providers, physical therapists must be confident in discussing all aspects of health with patients, including sexual health. Lack of attention to patients’ sexual issues may result in aspects of health going unaddressed, leading to poor patient care. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between exposure to pelvic health content in physical therapy school curricula and Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students’ comfort levels discussing sexual health issues with future patients. Study Design: Survey research report. Methods: A cluster sample of DPT students in the United States (n = 167) completed a novel tool, titled the Pelvic Health Curricular Exposure Scale (PHCES), as well as an adapted version of the Students’ Attitudes Towards Addressing Sexual Health (SA-SH) questionnaire. Results: Exposure to and comfort with pelvic floor dysfunction (p< .001; p< .001), obstetrical issues (p= .051; p< .001), colorectal health (p= .007; p< .001), and incontinence (p= .009; p< .001), as well as participating in a pelvic health elective (r pb = 0.05) or clinical experience (r pb < 0.003), positively correlated with comfort discussing sexual health with future patients. Conclusion: DPT programs should make a dedicated effort to implement pelvic health into the curriculum with an emphasis on topics such as pelvic floor dysfunction, obstetrical issues, colorectal health, and incontinence, as well as to provide students with pelvic health electives and clinical experiences. The Supplemental Digital Content video abstract for this article is available at: http://links.lww.com/JWHPT/A131

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Comfort Level of Current Physical Therapist Students in Addressing Sexual Issues With Patients

Cited by 2 publications

References 15 publications

Comfort Level of Occupational and Physical Therapist Students in Addressing Sexual Issues With Patients

Comfort Level of Occupational and Physical Therapist Students in Addressing Sexual Issues With Patients

The Pelvic Health Curricular Exposure Scale (PHCES): A Survey of Physical Therapy Students’ Comfort Discussing Sexual Health

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