Doctors should help patients with their sex lives
http://www.100md.com
《英国医生杂志》
EDITOR—In his personal view Barrett shared the sadly far too common scenario of a patient's sexual needs being overlooked and unfairly judged.1 Human rights include sexual rights, and the public is currently being led to have high expectations of sexual intercourse. Yet staff in primary and secondary care are not adequately trained in issues surrounding sexual intercourse, particularly interpersonal relationships, awareness, and respect of sexual difference. They also lack the confidence to communicate comfortably on sensitive topics. Unsurprisingly they either avoid discussion of the issue or do not handle it well.
Healthcare practitioners should be able to deliver sex information ranging from advising on sexually transmitted infections or sexual dysfunctions to helping people for whom sexual contact is difficult or who may have missed out on sex education. This does not mean that they have to book their patients a prostitute or conduct a sex education class, but they should know where to refer them.
Training of health professionals needs to be improved to include awareness of sex related issues beyond management of sexual disease. Staff cannot be blamed if they are neither trained for nor supported in this task. Also, prostitutes cannot be relied on when patients need help with sexual liaisons because they may not be adequately skilled or supported to help vulnerable people. Sex surrogates may be far more appropriate and should be supported by the medical profession.
Health Care Without Shame may help those who want to improve their practice.2 The Outsiders Trust (www.outsiders.org.uk) and a site for surrogate partners (www.icasa.co.uk) are there to help patients.
Petra M Boynton, non-clinical lecturer in health services research
Department of Primary Care and Population Sciences, University College London, London N19 5LW p.boynton@pcps.ucl.ac.uk
Competing interests: PMB runs training courses for general practitioners in improving their skills to communicate with patients about sexual intercourse.
References
Barrett J. Personal services or dangerous liaisons: should we help patients hire prostitutes? BMJ 2004;329: 985. (23 October.)
Moser C. Health care without shame: a handbook for the sexually diverse and their caregivers. San Francisco: Greenery Press, 1999.
Healthcare practitioners should be able to deliver sex information ranging from advising on sexually transmitted infections or sexual dysfunctions to helping people for whom sexual contact is difficult or who may have missed out on sex education. This does not mean that they have to book their patients a prostitute or conduct a sex education class, but they should know where to refer them.
Training of health professionals needs to be improved to include awareness of sex related issues beyond management of sexual disease. Staff cannot be blamed if they are neither trained for nor supported in this task. Also, prostitutes cannot be relied on when patients need help with sexual liaisons because they may not be adequately skilled or supported to help vulnerable people. Sex surrogates may be far more appropriate and should be supported by the medical profession.
Health Care Without Shame may help those who want to improve their practice.2 The Outsiders Trust (www.outsiders.org.uk) and a site for surrogate partners (www.icasa.co.uk) are there to help patients.
Petra M Boynton, non-clinical lecturer in health services research
Department of Primary Care and Population Sciences, University College London, London N19 5LW p.boynton@pcps.ucl.ac.uk
Competing interests: PMB runs training courses for general practitioners in improving their skills to communicate with patients about sexual intercourse.
References
Barrett J. Personal services or dangerous liaisons: should we help patients hire prostitutes? BMJ 2004;329: 985. (23 October.)
Moser C. Health care without shame: a handbook for the sexually diverse and their caregivers. San Francisco: Greenery Press, 1999.