Sexual Concerns after (Pelvic) Radiotherapy: Is There Any Role for the Radiation Oncologist?

Krouwel, Esmée M.; Nicolai, M. P. J.; Wielen, Gerard J. van der; Putter, Hein; Krol, Augustinus D.G.; Pelger, Rob C.M.; Incrocci, Luca; Elzevier, Henk W.

doi:10.1111/jsm.12969

Cited by 27 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…and a nephrologist (H.B.). The structure and design of the questionnaire were derived from questionnaires used in previous studies regarding sexuality and health‐care providers [20–24], with items based on issues identified by the authors and in literature. The survey was pilot tested by nephrologists and residents from the Leiden University Medical Centre Department of Nephrology (n = 7).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discussing Sexual Dysfunction with Chronic Kidney Disease Patients: Practice Patterns in the Office of the Nephrologist

Krouwel

Nicolai

et al. 2015

The Journal of Sexual Medicine

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Introduction Sexual dysfunction (SD) is a common problem in patients suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD). Sexual health remains a difficult subject to detect and discuss. Although many studies have been performed on the incidence of SD, little is known about practice patterns when it concerns quality of life (QoL)-related questions such as SD in the nephrologists’ practice. Aim The aim of this study was to determine to which extent nephrologists, important renal care providers, discuss SD with their patients and their possible barriers toward discussing this subject. Methods A 50-item questionnaire was sent to all Dutch nephrologists (n = 312). Main Outcome Measures The survey results. Results The response rate of the survey was 34.5%. Almost all responders (96.4%) stated to address SD in less than half of their new patients. The most important barrier not to discuss SD was patients not expressing their concern regarding SD spontaneously (70.8%). Other important barriers were: “the lack of a suitable moment to discuss” (61.9%) and “insufficient time” (46.9%). Eighty-five percent of the nephrologists stated that insufficient attention was paid to SD and treatment options during their training. Sixty-five percent of the respondents stated to be in need of extending their knowledge on the discussing of SD. Conclusions Dutch nephrologists do not discuss problems with sexual function routinely. The lack of knowledge, suitable education, and insufficient time are factors causing undervaluation of SD in CKD patients. Implementation of competent sexual education and raising awareness among nephrologists on the importance of paying attention to SD could improve care and QoL for patients with CKD. More research should be performed among patients and other renal care providers to develop an adequate method to enhance our current system.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discussing Sexual Dysfunction with Chronic Kidney Disease Patients: Practice Patterns in the Office of the Nephrologist

Krouwel

Nicolai

et al. 2015

The Journal of Sexual Medicine

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“…Personal discomfort was also cited as a factor even when taking into account professional factors. Some healthcare professionals felt that discomfort and lack of confidence could be a barrier, even with sufficient knowledge and understanding of the issue [36,49,40,50,51]. Sex was also often referred to as 'risky' or 'taboo' subject [33,38] with meaningful discussion often limited even when healthcare professionals were normally able to talk about other 'sensitive' issues [32,44].…”

Section: Theme 1: Individual and Societal Attitudes To Sex And Sexualmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healthcare professional perceived barriers and facilitators to discussing sexual wellbeing with patients after diagnosis of chronic illness: A mixed-methods evidence synthesis

O’Connor

Connaghan

Maguire

et al. 2019

Patient Education and Counseling

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“…Moreover, they face several other barriers, such as uncomfortable feelings, insufficient knowledge, lack of training, lack of time and over involvement in aspects of patients' personal lives. Oncology care providers do, however, consider sexual function to be an important topic [18][19][20][21]. During cancer treatment, patients are treated by different professionals within a multidisciplinary team.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is not always clear which member of the team is responsible for addressing sexual function. Studies among different Dutch oncology care providers revealed that members of the oncology team, like radiation oncologists, oncology nurses and oncology surgeons, see some role for themselves in sexual function counselling, but all point to the medical oncologist to bring up the subject [19][20][21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discussing Sexual Health in the Medical Oncologist’s Practice: Exploring Current Practice and Challenges

et al. 2019

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Sexuality is a significant quality-of-life concern for many cancer patients. Patients may be disadvantaged if they are not informed and not offered sexual health care. We sought to reveal oncologists' current practice and opinions concerning sexual counselling. The aim of this study was to explore the knowledge, attitude and practice patterns of Dutch medical oncologists regarding treatment-related sexual dysfunction. Questionnaires were sent to 433 members of the Dutch Society of Medical Oncology. The majority (81.5%) of the 120 responding medical oncologists (response rate 30.6%) stated they discussed sexual function with fewer than half of their patients. At the same time, 75.8% of the participating oncologists agreed that addressing sexual function is their responsibility. Sexual function was discussed more often with younger patients and patients with a curative treatment intent. Barriers for avoiding discussing sexual function were lack of time (56.1%), training (49.5%) and advanced age of the patient (50.4%). More than half (64.6%) stated they had little knowledge about the subject and the majority (72.9%) wanted to acquire additional training in sexual function counselling. Medical oncologists accept that sexual function counselling falls within their profession, yet they admit to not counselling patients routinely concerning sexual function. Only in a minority of cases do medical oncologists inform their patients about sexual side effects of treatment. Whether they counsel patients is related to how they view patient's prognosis, patient's age, and self-reported knowledge. Findings indicate there is a role for developing education and practical training.

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Sexual Concerns after (Pelvic) Radiotherapy: Is There Any Role for the Radiation Oncologist?

Cited by 27 publications

References 42 publications

Discussing Sexual Dysfunction with Chronic Kidney Disease Patients: Practice Patterns in the Office of the Nephrologist

Discussing Sexual Dysfunction with Chronic Kidney Disease Patients: Practice Patterns in the Office of the Nephrologist

Healthcare professional perceived barriers and facilitators to discussing sexual wellbeing with patients after diagnosis of chronic illness: A mixed-methods evidence synthesis

Discussing Sexual Health in the Medical Oncologist’s Practice: Exploring Current Practice and Challenges

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