The human sexuality education of physicians in North American medical schools

Abstract

Individuals seeking treatment for sexual problems frequently would like to turn to a source they consider knowledgeable and worthy of respect, their doctor. The objective was to assess how well the 125 schools of medicine in the United States and the 16 in Canada prepare physicians to diagnose and treat sexual problems. A prospective cohort study was carried out. The main outcome results were description of the medical educational experiences, teaching time, specific subject areas, clinical programs, clerkships, continuing education programs in the domain of human sexuality in North American medical schools. The results were as follows. There were 101 survey responses (71.6%) of a potential of 141 medical schools (74% of United States and 50% of Canadian medical schools). A total of 84 respondents (83.2%) for sexuality education used a lecture format. A single discipline was responsible for this teaching in 32 (31.7%) schools, but a multidisciplinary team was responsible in 64 (63.4%) schools (five schools failed to respond to the question). The majority (54.1%) of the schools provided 3-10 h of education. Causes of sexual dysfunction (94.1%), its treatment (85.2%) altered sexual identification (79.2%) and issues of sexuality in illness or disability (69.3%) were included in the curriculum of 96 respondents. Only 43 (42.6%) schools offered clinical programs, which included a focus on treating patients with sexual problems and dysfunctions, and 56 (55.5%) provided the students in their clerkships with supervision in dealing with sexual issues. In conclusion, expansion of human sexuality education in medical schools may be necessary to meet the public demand of an informed health provider.

Aids em idosos: motivos que levam ao diagnóstico tardio

“…Regarding the deficiency in the training of health professionals in undergraduate and graduate programs on sexuality of the elderly, this was also observed in other studies (5,(24)(25) .…”

“…In the USA and Canadian medical schools, throughout the course, there are subjects which deal with human sexuality, but only 3 to 10 hours (25) . In this context, we verified through the social dimension of vulnerability, that the health-disease process is social and permeates educational and cultural aspects, social policies, gender, translating into behavioral phenomena.…”

Sexual Health Training and Education in the U.S.

“…For providers in medical, nursing, and related fields, having improved curricular materials and faculty/provider role models interested in expanding education on sexual health would help students and residents become better providers. 31,32 Research suggests that medical and nursing students are often taught to initiate discussions on sexual health, but lack the skills to continue and direct such conversations effectively. [31][32][33][34][35] Recent reviews of medical school curricula found that only 3-10 hours during four years of study were dedicated to sexual health, and that coverage of sexual health topics was often arbitrary and inconsistent across the U.S. 32,36 The literature suggests similar gaps in nursing and related schools.…”

Role of lifestyle and psychological variables in erectile dysfunction: a cross-sectional study

“…[6][7][8] Embarrassment and disbeliefs regarding treatment among the patients, improper expertise of health providers and hostile atmosphere in the health institutions has been often implicated in deficiency of treatment seeking behavior among patients of ED. 9,10 As such, a thorough work-up including elicitation of risk factors coupled with necessary laboratory tests and integrated with clinical picture helps to diagnose and develop a treatment plan to manage these patients effectively. 11 Different protocols of diagnosis and treatment have always been the matter of interest for clinicians worldwide with the problem still showing a significant prevalence.…”