Sexual history taking by doctors in primary care in North West province, South Africa: Patients at risk of sexual dysfunction overlooked
Background: Sexual history taking seldom occurs during a chronic care consultation and this research focussed on consultation interaction factors contributing to failure of screening for sexual dysfunction. Aim: This study aimed to quantify the most important barriers a patient and doctor experienc...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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AOSIS
2022-05-01
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| Series: | African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/3238 |
| _version_ | 1811256944609984512 |
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| author | Deidre Pretorius Ian D. Couper Motlatso G. Mlambo |
| author_facet | Deidre Pretorius Ian D. Couper Motlatso G. Mlambo |
| author_sort | Deidre Pretorius |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Sexual history taking seldom occurs during a chronic care consultation and this research focussed on consultation interaction factors contributing to failure of screening for sexual dysfunction.
Aim: This study aimed to quantify the most important barriers a patient and doctor experienced in discussing sexual challenges during the consultation and to assess the nature of communication and holistic practice of doctors in these consultations.
Setting: The study was done in 10 primary care clinics in North West province which is a mix of rural and urban areas.
Methods: One-hundred and fifty-five consultation recordings were qualitatively analysed in this grounded theory research. Doctors and patients completed self-administered questionnaires. A structured workplace-based assessment tool was used to assess the communication skills and holistic practice doctors. Template analysis and descriptive statistics were used for analysis. The quantitative component of the study was to strengthen the study by triangulating the data.
Results: Twenty-one doctors participated in video-recorded routine consultations with 151 adult patients living with hypertension and diabetes, who were at risk of sexual dysfunction. No history taking for sexual dysfunction occurred. Consultations were characterised by poor communication skills and the lack of holistic practice. Patients identified rude doctors, shyness and lack of privacy as barriers to sexual history taking, whilst doctors thought that they had more important things to do with their limited consultation time.
Conclusion: Consultations were doctor-centred and sexual dysfunction in patients was entirely overlooked, which could have a negative effect on biopsychosocial well-being and potentially led to poor patient care. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T17:48:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2f492f93b7574ebe9b5b161ef4762936 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2071-2928 2071-2936 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T17:48:57Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-2f492f93b7574ebe9b5b161ef47629362022-12-22T03:22:34ZengAOSISAfrican Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine2071-29282071-29362022-05-01141e1e910.4102/phcfm.v14i1.3238930Sexual history taking by doctors in primary care in North West province, South Africa: Patients at risk of sexual dysfunction overlookedDeidre Pretorius0Ian D. Couper1Motlatso G. Mlambo2Division of Family Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgDivision of Family Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; and, Ukwanda Centre for Rural Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, StellenboschDivision of Family Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; and, Department of Institutional Research and Business Intelligence, University of South Africa, PretoriaBackground: Sexual history taking seldom occurs during a chronic care consultation and this research focussed on consultation interaction factors contributing to failure of screening for sexual dysfunction. Aim: This study aimed to quantify the most important barriers a patient and doctor experienced in discussing sexual challenges during the consultation and to assess the nature of communication and holistic practice of doctors in these consultations. Setting: The study was done in 10 primary care clinics in North West province which is a mix of rural and urban areas. Methods: One-hundred and fifty-five consultation recordings were qualitatively analysed in this grounded theory research. Doctors and patients completed self-administered questionnaires. A structured workplace-based assessment tool was used to assess the communication skills and holistic practice doctors. Template analysis and descriptive statistics were used for analysis. The quantitative component of the study was to strengthen the study by triangulating the data. Results: Twenty-one doctors participated in video-recorded routine consultations with 151 adult patients living with hypertension and diabetes, who were at risk of sexual dysfunction. No history taking for sexual dysfunction occurred. Consultations were characterised by poor communication skills and the lack of holistic practice. Patients identified rude doctors, shyness and lack of privacy as barriers to sexual history taking, whilst doctors thought that they had more important things to do with their limited consultation time. Conclusion: Consultations were doctor-centred and sexual dysfunction in patients was entirely overlooked, which could have a negative effect on biopsychosocial well-being and potentially led to poor patient care.https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/3238sexual history takingroutine consultationholistic practicecommunicationpatient-doctor engagementdiabeteshypertensionsexual dysfunction |
| spellingShingle | Deidre Pretorius Ian D. Couper Motlatso G. Mlambo Sexual history taking by doctors in primary care in North West province, South Africa: Patients at risk of sexual dysfunction overlooked African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine sexual history taking routine consultation holistic practice communication patient-doctor engagement diabetes hypertension sexual dysfunction |
| title | Sexual history taking by doctors in primary care in North West province, South Africa: Patients at risk of sexual dysfunction overlooked |
| title_full | Sexual history taking by doctors in primary care in North West province, South Africa: Patients at risk of sexual dysfunction overlooked |
| title_fullStr | Sexual history taking by doctors in primary care in North West province, South Africa: Patients at risk of sexual dysfunction overlooked |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sexual history taking by doctors in primary care in North West province, South Africa: Patients at risk of sexual dysfunction overlooked |
| title_short | Sexual history taking by doctors in primary care in North West province, South Africa: Patients at risk of sexual dysfunction overlooked |
| title_sort | sexual history taking by doctors in primary care in north west province south africa patients at risk of sexual dysfunction overlooked |
| topic | sexual history taking routine consultation holistic practice communication patient-doctor engagement diabetes hypertension sexual dysfunction |
| url | https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/3238 |
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