Abstract
Background
Patients affected by gastrointestinal disorders often experience sexual dysfunction
(SD). This creates stress and anxiety which impact on patients’ and/or their partners’
quality of life. A multidisciplinary approach to SD is often advisable in these patients.
This survey assessed if gastroenterologists routinely discuss SD with their patients
and the barriers toward discussing SD in clinical practice.
Methods
A 29-item questionnaire was sent to members of the Italian Society of Gastroenterology
and Digestive Endoscopy (SIGE). A descriptive analysis of responses was performed.
Results
Out of 714 eligible gastroenterologists, 426 (59.7%), responded.The majority (>70%)
never/infrequently investigated SD with their patients and, similarly, most patients
never discussed SD during the visit. The most reported reasons were lack of knowledge
(58%), time (44%), and embarrassment (30%). However, more than 70% of respondents
indicated that all specialists should be able to manage sexual problems, and more
than 80% declared that it would be useful for gastroenterologists to attend courses
dedicated to the problem of SD.
Conclusion
Despite the high prevalence of SD, counselling was not routinely performed in gastroenterological
care. Lack of education/knowledge appeared as the most important factor. Most of responders
felt that attending a course on SD might increase the awareness of SD.
Keywords
Abbreviations:
Sexual dysfunction (SD), Gastrointestinal diseases (GID)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 14, 2022
Accepted:
May 27,
2022
Received:
May 4,
2022
Footnotes
✰The authors received no financial support for the research.
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
