Abstract
ABSTRACT Introduction Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) significantly decreases qualify of life and the prevalence of FSD increases with age.(1) It is known that many healthcare providers do not screen for sexual dysfunction due to discomfort, not having enough time, or not having enough knowledge on the subject.(2) However the overall incidence of FSD will continue to increase as our postmenopausal population continues to grow. It is estimated that by the year of 2025 there will be 1.1 billion postmenopausal women worldwide.(3) Women in this age group often rely on their family medicine or internal medicine physician as the gatekeeper for their healthcare needs.(4) Therefore, healthcare providers both within the field of obstetrics and gynecology and general practitioners need to be prepared to screen, diagnose, and treat FSD. Objective The purpose of this study is to add to the current gaps in literature regarding screening for sexual dysfunction. Our goal is to identify what barriers exist to screening for sexual dysfunction across different fields. Identifying barriers by field will allow for targeted interventions to increase the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of female sexual dysfunction. Methods This study was based on a questionnaire that was distributed to healthcare providers practicing at an academic institution via email. The email was distributed as a one-time survey via residency programs across the country. Descriptive statistics were performed to assess study characteristics. Results 220 physicians and advanced practice providers completed the survey. 182 within the field of OBGYN completed the survey and 38 within the field of family or internal medicine completed the survey. Our results found that while 59% of providers responded they are screening for sexual dysfunction, only 5% of providers surveyed overall reported that they always screen for FSD. Of those not screening for FSD, the primary reason for OBGYNs is not feeling that they have enough time (22%) compared to other specialties reporting lack of knowledge about FSD (67%). Of those who stated they screened for FSD, 45% stated they were not familiar with any screening tool or questionnaires. Conclusions OBGYNs, Internal Medicine, and Family Medicine providers have room to improve screening for FSD. Our study shows that the primary barrier reported by OBGYNs related to time constraints, whereas other primary care providers reported not having enough knowledge. Future studies should focus on interventions for these two respective barriers. Disclosure No
Published Version
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