Barriers for the inclusion of sexuality in nursing care for women with gynecological and breast cancer: perspective of professionals

Abstract

AIM: qualitative study, which aimed to identify the barriers that influence nursing care practices related to the sexuality of women with gynecological and breast cancer. METHODS: the study was conducted with 16 professionals of the nursing area (nurses, nursing technicians and nursing assistants) from two sectors of a university hospital situated in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The data was collected using semi-structured, in-depth individual interviews. All the interviews were recorded and the participants' responses were identified and categorized using Content Analysis. RESULTS: three major themes were identified. These are as follows: 1) barriers related to the biomedical model; 2) barriers related to institutional dynamics and 3) barriers related to the social interpretations of sexuality. CONCLUSIONS: the results of this study showed that the systematized inclusion of this issue in nursing care routines requires changes in the health paradigm and in the work dynamic, as well as reflection on the personal values and social interpretations related to the topic. A major challenge is to divest sexuality of the taboos and prejudices which accompany it, as well as to contribute to the nursing team being more aware of the difficulties faced by women with gynaecological and breast cancer.

Patient-provider communication about sexual concerns in cancer: a systematic review

“…However, these have been well described previously [15, 29, 30, 67, 68]. Also, because fertility itself was not a search term, studies focusing on fertility were likely missed and should be studied in separate fertility-specific reviews.…”

“…The most common type of communication observed in the studies included in this review – and the most prevalent type of communication, occurring in half of patients – was discussing potential effects of cancer treatment on sexual function. By contrast, few studies assessed how often providers asked patients about sexual concerns and such assessment occurred less often, suggesting that the barriers to discussions of sexual concerns [15, 22, 67, 68], may increase through the treatment trajectory. As an example, compared to providing information about potential sexual side effects of treatment, which could fit easily into an informed consent discussion, identifying and treating sexual concerns further down the road may require a greater degree of training (e.g., knowledge, competence) and sensitivity to accomplish effectively, making these skills a particularly fruitful target for intervention.…”

The Phenomenon Lived by Women in Nursing Consultation in the Gynecological Brachytherapy

“…6 These issues are of concern to nurses during their professional life, therefore they should be encouraged to raise awareness regarding the need for comprehensive care for cancer patients, in order to base their professional practice questions that lead them to the desire to produce new knowledge that contributes to organizational changes and the dissemination of new technologies. [6][7] In this sense, the objective was to understand the phenomenon lived by women in the nursing consultation in gynecological brachytherapy.…”

Ensinar e aprender na consulta de enfermagem em braquiterapia ginecológica: perspectivas dos enfermeiros [Teaching and learning in the gynecological brachytherapy nursing appointment: the nurses’ perspectives]

“…Em revisão bibliométrica, houve predominância de estudos que se preocuparam com o cuidado de enfermagem ao cliente submetido à radioterapia, tanto na prevenção, identificação e tratamento de complicações e efeitos colaterais, como nas experiências e vivências do cliente e seu familiar frente ao diagnóstico e tratamento do câncer 5 …”

“…Estes temas inquietam os enfermeiros, por isso devem ser sensibilizados para a atenção integral à saúde dos clientes oncológicos, além de seus questionamentos sobre a prática profissional para a produção de novos conhecimentos, que contribuam para mudanças organizacionais e disseminação de novas tecnologias 5,6 .…”