"Opening a can of worms": GP and practice nurse barriers to talking about sexual health in primary care

Gott, Merryn; Galena, Elisabeth; Hinchliff, Sharron; Elford, Helen

doi:10.1093/fampra/cmh509

Cited by 357 publications

(367 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Research shows that clinicians are often reticent to discuss psychosexual matters with patients and their partners or carers, because such discussions have psychosocial consequences for them: they are afraid of 'opening up a can of worms' (Dyer and Das Nair, 2013;Gott et al, 2004). Hence, the narrow focus by clinicians on the 'mechanics' of sex identified by our interviewees, may make the discussion feel 'safer', and more contained.…”

mentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Some men felt that clinicians made judgements about their psychosexual communication needs based on their age, and this, in turn, sustained unmet needs. There is evidence to suggest that age-based presumptions may be linked to the psychosocial anxieties and vulnerabilities that healthcare professionals experience when discussing sex and sexuality with people of particular ages (Gott et al, 2004, Gott andHinchcliffe, 2003;Hordern and Street, 2007). Our findings contribute to this literature, suggesting that skills-based training in the area of communication and psychosexual awareness may facilitate the proactive and permissive stance clinicians need to raise such issues with patients.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The clinical communication and information challenges associated with the psychosexual aspects of prostate cancer treatment

Speer¹,

Tucker²,

McPhillips³

et al. 2017

Social Science & Medicine

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confidence: 93%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The clinical communication and information challenges associated with the psychosexual aspects of prostate cancer treatment

Speer¹,

Tucker²,

McPhillips³

et al. 2017

Social Science & Medicine

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“…2 Despite the high prevalence of problems, assessing sexual function during clinic visits is not commonplace. Limited patient-provider communication about sexual matters has been documented in primary care, 3,4 ob/gyn, 5 cardiology, 6 and oncology. 7,8 Patients can be reluctant to initiate discussions with their providers about sexual function, preferring that providers broach the topic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and Validation of a Single-Item Screener for Self-Reporting Sexual Problems in U.S. Adults

et al. 2015

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BACKGROUND: Brief self-assessment of sexual problems in a clinical context has the potential to improve care for patients through the ability to track trends in sexual problems over time and facilitate patient-provider communication about this important topic. However, instruments designed for research are typically too long to be practical in clinical practice. OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a single-item selfreport clinical screener that would capture common sexual problems and concerns for men and women. DESIGN: We created three candidate screener items, refined them through cognitive interviews, and administered them to a large sample. We compared the prevalence of responses to each item and explored the discrepancies between items. We evaluated the construct validity of the items by comparing them to scores on the PatientReported Outcomes Measurement Information System® Sexual Function and Satisfaction (PROMIS® SexFS) measure. PARTICIPANTS: Local patients participated in two rounds of cognitive interviews (n=7 and n=11). A probability-based random sample of U.S. adults comprised the item-testing sample (n=3517). MAIN MEASURES: The items were as follows: 1) a yes/no item on any sexual problems or concerns (Bgeneral screener^), 2) a yes/no item on problems experienced for 3 months or more during the past 12 months, with a list of examples (Blong list screener^), and 3) an item identical to the long list screener except that examples appeared individually as response options and respondents could check all that applied (Bchecklist screener^). KEY RESULTS: All of the screeners tested showed evidence for basic validity and had minimal missing data. Percentages of women and men endorsing the screeners were 10 % and 15 % (general); 20 % and 17 % (long list); and 38 % and 30 % (checklist), respectively. Participants who endorsed the screeners had lower function compared to those who did not endorse them. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend the checklist screener for its specificity and ability to identify specific problems associated with decreased sexual function.

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“…This perceived topic sensitivity has been identified by previous research [28,29,37,59,60]. However, research indicates that most patients are not offended by discussions of sexuality [40,61], and do expect professionals to make inquiries about sexuality issues [21].…”

Section: Barriers and Facilitators To Discussing Sexualitymentioning

confidence: 67%

A Multiple Timepoint Pre-post Evaluation of a ‘Sexual Respect’ DVD to Improve Competence in Discussing Sex with Patients with Disability

et al. 2014

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(2015) A multiple timepoint prepost evaluation of a 'sexual respect' dvd to improve competence in discussing sex with patients with disability. Sexuality and Disability, 33 (3 A note on versions:The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of record. If you wish to cite this item you are advised to consult the publisher's version. Please see the repository url above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription.For more information, please contact eprints@nottingham.ac.uk Citation: Dyer, K., Aubeeluck, A., & dasNair, R.* (2014). A multiple time-point prepost evaluation of a 'Sexual Respect' DVD to improve competence in discussing sex with patients with disability. Sexuality & Disability, 32(3)

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"Opening a can of worms": GP and practice nurse barriers to talking about sexual health in primary care

Abstract: GPs and practice nurses do not address sexual health issues proactively with patients, and this area warrants further attention if policy recommendations to expand the role of primary care within sexual health management are to be met.

Cited by 357 publications

References 15 publications

The clinical communication and information challenges associated with the psychosexual aspects of prostate cancer treatment

The clinical communication and information challenges associated with the psychosexual aspects of prostate cancer treatment

Development and Validation of a Single-Item Screener for Self-Reporting Sexual Problems in U.S. Adults

A Multiple Timepoint Pre-post Evaluation of a ‘Sexual Respect’ DVD to Improve Competence in Discussing Sex with Patients with Disability

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