More and Better Sexual Health Training Needed in Oncology

Oncology health care professionals (HCPs) need additional training to help them facilitate discussions about sexuality with their patients, according to study results presented at the European Oncology Nursing Society session at the ESMO Congress 2023.

For this study, researchers surveyed oncology HCPs in Belgium to assess their knowledge, perception, and attitudes related to sexuality discussions with patients.

A total of 259 HCPs completed an online survey, and the researchers conducted 3 focus groups with 17 HCPs. Most participants did not have formal training in sexual health.

Knowledge about sexual health correlated with receiving formal sexual health training (P ≤.001) and being an HCP specialist (P <.001).

In general, however, the HCPs did not know when to start a conversation about sexuality with their patients. The HCPs felt they had personal barriers to having the conversation, such as a lack of time or knowledge. However, some patients initiated the sexuality conversation, which facilitated the discussion.

The HCPs generally did not know whether patients from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) community had different needs than other patients. The HCPs said they did not ask patients about their sexual orientation or assume what their sexual orientation was.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that oncology HCPs require more and better education on sexual health, and more research is needed to investigate the perspectives of cancer patients in the LGBTQ+ community.

Reference

Beyts C, Verhelle J, Pape E, van Ramshorst G. Perceptions and attitudes of healthcare providers towards discussing sexuality and sexual problems in cancer patients (from LGBTQ+ backgrounds). Presented at ESMO Congress 2023. October 20-24, 2023. Madrid, Spain. Abstract CN37.