Anathema: Promoting sexual health and sexual well-being in patients with colorectal cancer

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction Sexual health is an important dimension of global health and is strongly related to physical and psychological health, as well as to people's perception of general well-being and quality of life. However, sexual health and sexual well-being in patients with colorectal cancer still lack a systematic and strategic management in the survival of these patients. Specialized and accessible care is of utmost importance to meet patients’ specific needs regarding sexuality and sexual health. Objective This presentation will focus on “Anathema: Technology for ageless sexual health”, an European project aimed to develop and implement an e-Health sexual health promotion program based on scientific evidence and designed to meet the specific needs of patients with colorectal cancer. Methods The project comprises different phases and its execution is based on a multimodal and participatory approach. Results By adopting a participatory design and a multimodal approach in the different phases of the project, Anathema is a very promising therapeutic intervention tool for promoting sexual health and to address unmet sexual needs of colorectal cancer survivors. Conclusions This project will make a significant contribution in addressing the sexual health and quality of life of patients with colorectal cancer. Disclosure Work supported by industry: no.