General practitioners’ self-reported competence in the management of sexual health issues – a web-based questionnaire study from Finland

Abstract

Objective Although sexual problems are common, they are rarely brought up in appointments with general practitioners (GPs). We aimed to assess the barriers that hinder GPs from bringing up sexual health issues and to evaluate the need for education on sexual medicine. Design A web-based questionnaire was used. Setting Four fields were included: A) the self-reported competence in discussing sexual health and treating patients with these issues, B) the barriers to bringing up patients’ sexual health problems, C) the source of education on sexual medicine and D) the need for education on sexual medicine. Subjects A random sample of 1000 GPs in Finland (a response rate of 43.5%, n = 402). Main outcome measures GPs’ self-assessed competence in discussing and treating sexual health issues, related barriers to bringing up the topic and the reported need for education. Results The main reasons reported for not bringing up sexual health issues were shortness of the appointment time (85.6%), a lack of knowledge (83.6%) and a lack of experience with sexual medicine (81.8%). The male GPs reported better competence in discussing the issues and treating male patients, whereas the female GPs reported better competence in discussing the issues with female patients. No differences emerged between genders regarding treating female patients. Nearly 90% of the GPs expressed needing more education about sexual medicine. Conclusions Although the GPs reported good competence in discussing sexual health issues with their patients, several barriers to bringing up sexual health issues emerged. Continuing education was desired and could lessen these barriers. Key points Only a few studies have evaluated the competence of general practitioners (GPs) in addressing sexual health issues with their patients. In our study, the GPs reported a high competence in discussing patients’ sexual health issues regardless of the patient’s gender. However, several barriers to bringing up sexual health issues in appointments emerged. A majority of the GPs expressed a need for continuing education about sexual medicine.

Let's talk about sexuality – A web‐based survey of self‐reported competence in sexual problems among obstetrician‐gynecologists in Finland

“…Our results confirmed the results of previous studies among OB/GYNs and urogynecologists in various countries 10,11,15 . Similar barriers related to time have also been described in studies conducted in other specialties 17,23,24 . Furthermore, we found that female OB/GYNs, younger OB/GYNs, and OB/GYNs who reported dealing with sexual health issues less often were more likely to report this barrier.…”

“…10,11,15 Similar barriers related to time have also been described in studies conducted in other specialties. 17,23,24 Furthermore, we found that female OB/GYNs, younger OB/GYNs, and OB/GYNs who reported dealing with sexual health issues less often were more likely to report this barrier. Sexual health issues can be complex and, thus, undoubtedly time-consuming to address.…”

“…Comparable findings have previously been reported among both OB/GYNs 10,11,15 and general practitioners. 23,24 All these barriers emphasize the need for high-quality and sufficient education.…”

Patients with chronic diseases: Is sexual health brought up by general practitioners during appointments? A web-based study

“…In the future, additional sexual medicine education would improve awareness of the effects of chronic diseases on sexual health and thus lead to better patient care. In our previous study [24], GPs reported sexual medicine education gained from medical schools to be insufficient. Thus, increasing sexual medicine education in the medical schools' curricula-for instance, integrating it into various specialties-would most likely also increase knowledge of the interrelation between chronic diseases and sexual problems.…”

“…In our previous SexMEdu sub-study [24], GPs self-reported mainly using open conversation as the method of taking a patient's sexual history. In the current study, we found that only some of the GPs inquired about sexual problems from patients with chronic diseases.…”