Schoolof Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sheffield, Samuel Fox House, Northern General Hospital, Herries Road, Sheffield S5 7AU, United Kingdom.
J Sex Res. 2011 Mar;48(2-3):106-17. doi: 10.1080/00224499.2010.548610.
Research consistently reports that older people tend not to seek medical help for sexual concerns or difficulties. This article reviews the literature to examine help-seeking for, and doctor-patient interactions about, sexual problems in the middle and later life age groups. Twenty-five articles from 1999 to 2010 were identified and analyzed. Significant barriers to seeking medical help included psychosocial factors relating to the patient, such as thinking that sexual changes were "normal with ageing," and also to the doctor-for example, assuming that sex was less important to older patients than it was to their younger patients. Inadequate training at medical school for health care professionals (HCPs) was also identified as a barrier. People were more likely to seek help if their doctor had asked about sexual function during a routine visit sometime during the previous three years. However, doctors tended not to take a proactive approach to sexual health management, and indeed often had limited knowledge of later-life sexuality issues. There are clear implications for sexual well-being if the doctor does not ask and the patient does not tell. Providing education about later-life sexuality for HCPs is crucial if we are to meet the needs of older patients in useful and effective ways.
研究报告不断指出，老年人往往不会因性问题或困扰去寻求医学帮助。本文回顾了 1999 年至 2010 年间的文献，以探讨中老年人群在性问题方面的求医和医患互动情况。共确定并分析了 25 篇文章。寻求医学帮助的主要障碍包括与患者相关的心理社会因素，例如认为性变化“随年龄增长而正常”，以及与医生相关的因素，例如假设性对老年患者的重要性不如对年轻患者的重要性。医疗保健专业人员（HCPs）在医学院的培训不足也被认为是一个障碍。如果患者在过去三年中的某次常规就诊中医生询问过性功能问题，那么他们更有可能寻求帮助。然而，医生往往不会主动进行性健康管理，实际上他们对晚年性生活问题的了解也很有限。如果医生不询问而患者也不主动告知，那么这对性健康会产生明显的影响。如果我们要以有用且有效的方式满足老年患者的需求，那么为 HCPs 提供关于晚年性生活的教育至关重要。
