Objectives Although the World Health Organization has declared that sexual health is an integral part of overall health, physicians seem to engage in taking the sexual health history less than their patients would desire. This study aimed at investigating the factors that predict physicians’ involvement in addressing sexual health issues, including their attitudes toward the doctor–patient relationship, as well as sexual issues. Methods Physicians participating in educational courses on erectile dysfunction were the study sample, and anonymously and optionally completed a battery of questionnaires. In addition to demographics and a questionnaire on their involvement in taking sexual histories, the beliefs about the doctor–patient relationship were measured by the Patient–Practitioner Orientation Scale, while the Physician Belief Scale was used as the measurement of the psychosocial aspects of patient care. Finally, participants completed the Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory––Attitude subscale, in order to determine the possible role of physicians’ sexual attitudes. Results Previous training in communication skills was found to be the strongest predictor for sexual history taking. Physicians addressing patients’ psychosocial concerns were found to be more likely to ask for sexual health problems and to consider their management as less difficult. Other identified predictors of their involvement in sexual history taking were their medical specialty—possibly reflecting their level of education in sexual medicine––and having liberal sexual attitudes; female physicians and general practitioners reported more difficulty in dealing with sexual problems. Conclusions Physicians’ training in communication skills seems to be fundamental for sexual history taking and the management of sexual problems, as it improves their level of comfort in dealing with sexual issues; exposure to sexual medicine courses, and psychosocial orientation, as well as physicians’ personal sexual attitudes, are also important factors affecting their involvement in sexual medicine.

Introduction Health care professionals, especially nurses, through their contact with patients, play an important role in encouraging discussions about sexual concerns. Aim To explore perceptions on sexual health issues and how these might inhibit or enhance Greek nurses’ ability to incorporate sexual health assessment into everyday practice. Main Outcome Measures A discussion guide was used as checklist to ensure that the basic issues would be addressed. Topics related to the areas of interest were either brought up from the participants or introduced by the moderator. Methods The study recruited a purposive sample of 44 Greek staff nurses (SN) attending a course leading to their professional upgrading. A qualitative research design was employed using seven focus groups. Discussions started with nurses’ perceived definitions of sexual health and proceeded with open-ended questions. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis based on the principles of grounded theory. Results Three central themes were identified from transcripts’ thematic analysis: subjective perception of sexual health, discussing sexual problems, and educational and training needs. Participants’ perceptions of sexual health centred mainly on the emotional and somatic dimensions. Regarding clinical practice, a variety of personal and contextual reasons limit nurses’ willingness to talk about sexuality with patients, such as gender and age differences, familial upbringing, lack of time and privacy, and restricted perception of nursing role. All nurses stressed the need for further specialized training not only in physiology issues related to sexuality, but also most importantly in communication skills. Conclusions Although Greek nurses acknowledge the importance of sexual health assessment, they believe that sexual history taking is not within the range of their professional tasks. Since holistic care demands sexual health assessment and intervention to be an integral part of nursing practice, it is necessary to introduce courses in their curriculum and experiential workshops addressing the multidimensionality of sexuality.

Psychiatric morbidity is highly prevalent in patients with ED, potentially affecting treatment outcome. Because lifetime psychological problems were reported by more than half of the patients, a psychosocial history seems mandatory. Partner support appeared to have a significant role in the patient psychological state.

Introduction Patients' sexual concerns are frequently underestimated because of health professionals' reluctance to address sexual health issues. Though it has been documented that sexual attitudes are extremely influential in everyday clinical practice, limited data exist on identifying health professionals' attitudes. Aim To explore sexual attitudes in medical students and students in allied health professions. Main Outcome Measures The Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory (DSFI)–Attitude Subscale was used to assess sexual attitudes. Methods The sample included 1st and 4th year college students enrolled in the following academic departments/schools of two academic institutions leading to health professions: medical school, psychology, pharmaceutical school, nursing and midwifery. Demographic data were obtained relating to sexual behaviors and information sources on sexual issues. Data were analyzed using independent samples t-test and two-way analysis of variance, as well as logistic regression and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results A total of 714 students (81.9% females) participated in the study: 48.5% 1st year students and 51.5% seniors with a mean age of 20.17 years (SD=1.87, range 17–25). Using iterative cluster analysis on DSFI scores, participants were divided in conservative (N=167), liberal (N=224), and neutral (N=323) clusters. A significant gender difference on sexual attitudes was obtained (P <0.001) with male students being more liberal compared to females (mean=18.26 and mean=11.13, respectively). Differences were also revealed for the field but not for the year of study. Analysis also revealed that liberalism in sexual attitudes is more likely to be affected by a liberal stance toward religion (OR: 2.39), receiving information for sexual matters mainly from peers (OR: 1.86), and media influence on students' sexual life (OR: 1.68). Conclusions Gender, personal values, and experiences influence students' attitudes toward sexual issues. Since negative attitudes can impede effective sexual health consultations, it is imperative to incorporate courses on effective communication and human sexuality in the medical and allied health professions curricula that will enhance students' awareness of their own values and prejudices.

Purpose To report female sexual problems and concerns, as presented by women calling a help–line, and to evaluate women’s help–seeking behavior regarding sexual matters. Materials and Methods The study included all telephone calls from women who called for sexual concerns to a help–line dedicated to sexual problems during a 5–year period. During the call, the counselor addresses demographic characteristics of the caller, the sexual problem reported, their sexual function, any previous doctor contacts, coexisting physical and mental health problems, couple’s relationship, and lifestyle factors that may influence sexual function. Data processing employed descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis in order to detect possible associations between categorical variables. Results Of a total of 3,523 calls made by women, 2,287 full forms were analyzed, reflecting a response rate of 64.9%. Most women (46.6%) called for problems encountered by their partners, 45.1% called for their own sexual problems, while 5.9% were calling for their children. Only 34.3% of them had already consulted a doctor. The most frequently reported difficulties were achieving orgasm (25.6%), reduced sexual desire (16.9%), and pain during intercourse (6.1%). Women in the 40–49 age group had the higher odds ratios for the sexual problems reported (reduced sexual desire: odds ratio [OR] 5.0; difficulties achieving orgasm: OR 6.3; pain during intercourse: OR 5.8). Both married and single women had high risk of experiencing low levels of sexual desire (40% and 30%, respectively). Conclusions Women’s sexual concerns are not devoted to their sexual problems, but also their partner’s and children’s problems. Most frequently reported sexual problems are difficulties in reaching orgasm and reduced sexual desire. However, women are reluctant to seek medical advice on their sexual concerns. There is a need for general practitioners and family doctors to become aware of the possibility of a sexual problem and to be trained on how to manage this at a primary care level.