Communication about physical activity to reduce vascular erectile dysfunction – A qualitative interview study among men in cardiac rehabilitation

Abstract

Background Physical activity, a core intervention in cardiac rehabilitation, can reduce vascular erectile dysfunction (ED). ED is a common sensitive problem for men with cardiac diseases, decreasing their quality of life. Cardiac health professionals rarely provide information about ED or its relation to physical activity. Developing health professionals’ communicative component of the complex intervention ‘Physical Activity to reduce Vascular Erectile Dysfunction’ (PAVED) is important. Understanding the receiver needs is essential in designing a complex intervention. Aim To elucidate men's perspectives on cardiac health professionals’ communication about PAVED. Ethical issues An Institutional Data Protection Agency approved the study. Methods An interpretive data‐driven thematic analysis was applied to individual, qualitative semi‐structured interviews with 20 Danish men attending cardiac rehabilitation. Results The men wanted health professionals’ communicating about ED, as it was perceived as a major problem diminishing masculinity and tabooed by health professionals. Men wanted help for self‐help, which may be possible with the aid of competent health professionals’ communication about how to prevent, reduce and cope with ED ‐ including information about PAVED. The men wanted health professionals’ communication about ED in various contexts: general information in groups, sexual counselling for individuals and couples and written material. Study limitations Recruitment was done from a Danish municipality's cardiac rehabilitation, and the transferability of the results may be limited to similar contexts. Conclusion Erectile dysfunction was experienced as a major biopsychosocial problem for the men and their partners. The men had a need for health professionals’ communication about sexuality, ED and information about PAVED as well as about prevention, reduction and management of ED. The men had a need for professional communication about sexual health.

Content validity and reliability of the danish version of health care students’ attitudes towards addressing sexual health: a psychometric study

“…For positively loaded items (1–8, 15, 19–22,), ceiling effects were considered present if ≥15% of students answered the item with ‘Strongly agree’, while floor effects were considered present if ≥15% answered the item ‘Disagree’. The opposite was likewise done for negatively loaded items (9–14 and 16–18) (31).…”

“…It is well known that diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases and rheumatic conditions can negatively affect sexuality and sexual health (4)(5)(6). Health care professionals' communication and addressing these issues can strengthen and increase patients' quality of life (1,4,5,7,8) highlighting the importance of health care professionals' addressing sexuality and sexual health (2,4,7). However, nurses and other health care professionals are often reluctant to address these sensitive topics due to insufficient education, training, experience and competence (9)(10)(11).…”

Development of the Complex Intervention: Physical Activity to reduce Vascular Erectile Dysfunction

“…In Studies II and III (2,3) and in this thesis, the terms 'men' and 'participants' were used and will be used to emphasize men's active role and an empowerment aspect of the intervention PAVED. The MRC uses the terms 'receivers' or 'recipients' of an intervention, contrasting the MRC term 'providers' of an intervention (12-14), while most scientific articles use the term 'patients'.…”

“…Across the studies, a variety of terms for 'providers of PAVED' was used. In Study I: 'physiotherapists' (1), in Studies II and III: 'health professionals' (2,3), in Study IV: 'healthcare students' (4) and in Study V: Danish health professional students (5). In this thesis, the students are termed 'Danish health professional students', 'future health professionals' and 'future providers of PAVED'.…”

“…Study I was a systematic review (1). Studies II and III were qualitative individual interview studies (2,3). Study IV was a psychometric study (4) and a request for Study V, which was a national survey (5).…”