Abstract
Background: An important aspect of sexual health is the ability to take a sexual history. Previous studies have shown that most medical students believed that sexual history taking is an important skill for future practice. Still, a majority reported inadequate, inconsistent or no training in this area.Objectives: To assess the attitudes of final year medical students on sexual history taking and perceptions of the training they received in medical schoolDesign: A cross-sectional study using an online surveyParticipants: Consented and conveniently sampled 100 final year medical students.Results: The overall response rate was 74.6%, and the mean age of the respondents was 24.1±2.9 years. The majority (97%) of the students believed it is important for doctors to know how to take a sexual history. Still, only 31% admitted to finding it easy, with 57% of the students admitted to being comfortable taking a sexual history from adult patients. While 70% had exposure on simulated patients, just 54% have observed doctors taking sexual history during clinical rotations, mostly in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (97%) and Urology (60%) postings.Conclusions: Many final year medical students are interested in and appreciated the importance of sexual history taking, but they are not well grounded in many aspects of the topic. Despite the importance of sexual health, many students did not have enough exposure and training on the topic while still in medical schools. There is thus a need for a review of the curriculum of undergraduate medical education in Nigeria.
Highlights
Sexual health is an integral aspect of well-being and a strong determinant of quality of life in adolescence and adulthood
According to the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), the proportion of adolescents who have had sexual intercourse by age 18 years increased from 54% in 2013 to 57% in 2018.2 A study among secondary school students aged 10 -19 years in Nigeria showed that the mean age of sexual debut was 13.0±2.3 years.[3]
Among the elderly sexual activities tend to decline with increasing age; recent studies have shown that many older adults engage in sexual activities, especially with the availability of effective medications for erectile dysfunction starting with Viagra® in 1989.4-6 In Nigeria, a study of 100 elderly persons with a mean age of 66.42 ±5.77 years found that 48% of the respondents still engaged in sexual activities and 71% considered it safe to do so.[7]
Summary
Sexual health is an integral aspect of well-being and a strong determinant of quality of life in adolescence and adulthood. Given the importance of sexuality to overall health and well-being, it has been suggested that sexual health should be integrated with all aspects of patient care.[8] To do this a medical doctor should be confident in taking a sexual history as a routine during clinical encounters. This has many benefits; the prevalence of HIV infection is still high, and 40% of new cases of infection in Africa are from Nigeria and are mainly acquired through sexual activities. It allows identification and treatment of various sexual dysfunctions and addresses other sexual concerns
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