Abstract
Health professionals contribute toward addressing the sexual health care (SHC) of cancer patients, given the frequency of contact with their patients. This study investigated nurses' and physicians' SHC attitudes, practices, and educational needs relating to cancer patients' SHC. Using a cross-sectional study design, we assessed South Korean health professionals' attitudes, practice, and training needs related to cancer patients' SHC. Differences in attitudes and practices among the groups were analyzed via an independent-samples t-test, ANOVA, and ANCOVA using SPSS. The demographic characteristics, including sex, marital status, and age, were associated with SHC attitudes and practices. There was a significant difference in the level of nurses' and physicians' attitudes regarding SHC. Compared to nurses, physicians were found to hold a more positive attitude toward SHC. Nurses performed practices pertaining to reproductive care significantly more than physicians after controlling for demographic variables. A small correlation was found between scores on the SHCS–A and the SHCS–P among the groups. Participants' educational needs regarding SHC included changes in sexual function, safe sex during treatment, reproductive health, and sexual counseling approaches. Equipping oncology nurses and physicians with the knowledge to extend their roles by managing cancer patients' sexual function, psychological and social problems, and reproductive care would be effective. Additionally, oncology nurses who are mainly women and relatively younger than physicians ought to enhance their skills in communicating with and counseling male cancer patients.
Highlights
Sexual health, together with quality of life, has increasingly been recognized as a vital component of cancer care [1, 2]
In terms of SHC practices, male participants in this study provided SHC more frequently than did their female counterparts
The educational needs reported by nurses and physicians, broadly related to useful knowledge in the practice setting, were changes in sexual function, safe sex during treatment, reproductive health, sexual counseling approaches, and other supplementary resources
Summary
Together with quality of life, has increasingly been recognized as a vital component of cancer care [1, 2]. Regardless of age, relationship status, and disease type and its treatment, most cancer patients may experience sexual dysfunction [3]. Sexual dysfunction is common among most patients across cancer types; it includes problems with sexual behavior, pleasure, intimacy, and reproduction [4, 5]. Chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy have negative effects on sexual function and patients’ organs [4, 6]. Ejaculation dysfunction, and loss of sexual desire are reported to be 70–100% among male cancer survivors during treatment [3, 7]. Thirty to seventy percent of female cancer survivors experience vaginal
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