Sexual counselling of cardiac patients: Nurses' perception of practice, responsibility and confidence
Received 1 November 2009; accepted 12 November 2009. published online 11 December 2009.
Abstract
Background
Cardiac patients may experience problems with sexual activity as a result of their disease, medications or anxiety and nurses play an important role in sexual counselling. We studied the practice, responsibility and confidence of cardiac nurses in the sexual counselling of these patients.
Method
An adapted version of the nurses' survey of sexual counselling of MI patients was administered during a scientific meeting of the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professionals within the European Society of Cardiology.
Results
Most of the 157 cardiovascular nurses (87%) who completed the survey felt responsible to discuss sexual concerns with their clients, especially when patients initiated a discussion. However in practice, most respondents rarely addressed sexual issues. The items that nurses reported to counsel patients were closely related to the cardiac disease, symptoms and medications and seldom more sensitive subjects (e.g. foreplay, positions). Nurses estimated that their patients could be upset (67%), embarrassed (72%) or anxious (68%) if they were asked about sexual concerns. One-fifth of the nurses felt they had insufficient knowledge and 40% sometimes hesitated to discuss sexual concerns with clients because they might not know how to answer questions. Additional education on sexuality was significantly related to being more comfortable and active in sexual counselling.
Conclusion
Although cardiac nurses feel responsible and not anxious discussing patients' sexual concerns, these issues are not often discussed in daily practice. Nurses might need more knowledge and specific practical training in providing information on sexual concerns and sexual counselling to cardiac patients.
aLinköping University, Department of Social and Welfare studies, Division of Health, Activity and Care, Norrköping, Sweden and Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
bDepartment of Medicine and Health Sciences, Division of Nursing Science, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
cSchool of Health Sciences, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden
dInstitute of Nursing Science, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland and Centre for Health Services and Nursing Research, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium
eUnit for Research and Development in Primary Care, Jönköping, Sweden
fCentre for Health Services and Nursing Research, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium and Division of Congenital and Structural Cardiology, University Hospitals of Leuven, Belgium
gDepartment of Heart Disease, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
hSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Dundee, and Department of Cardiology, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, UK
iSchool of Nursing, Wichita State University, Wichita KS, USA
jDepartment of Health Sciences/Department of Cardiovascular Sciences University of Leicester, UK
Corresponding author. Department of Social and Welfare Studies (ISV), Linköping University, 601 74 Norrköping, Sweden.
ABSTRACT