Multiple Sclerosis and Sexuality: A Survey of MS Health Professionals' Comfort, Training, and Inquiry About Sexual Dysfunction

Abstract

When health care professionals were asked about their perceptions of, assessment of, and treatment methods for sexual dysfunction, they acknowledged that sexual dysfunction was a frequent problem for MS patients, although few addressed the issue with their patients. Most also believed that very few of the patients actually sought help for sexual dysfunction. In addition to comfort level and training as the strongest predictors determining inquiry behavior, respondents indicated that lack of time with patients was an important factor in not inquiring about sexual function. As a whole, the group had minimal training in human sexuality. This questionnaire-based study found that amount of training was a significant predictor of both comfort level in discussing sexual functioning and the frequency in which discussions were initiated with patients. The results suggest that more training would facilitate MS health care professionals' comfort and assessment behaviors of sexual dysfunction. (Int J MS Care. 2003; 5: 37–38, 44–51)