Research Unit of General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, J.B. Winsløws Vej 9A, 5000, Odense C, Denmark.
BMC Fam Pract. 2020 Aug 16;21(1):166. doi: 10.1186/s12875-020-01238-2.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is common and impacts psychosocial wellbeing negatively. Many do not seek medical attention and several barriers for healthcare seeking with ED exist. Little is known about the association between socioeconomic characteristics of the patient and barriers for healthcare-seeking for men bothered by ED. The objectives of the study were 1) to estimate the proportion of men bothered by ED, who do not contact the GP, 2) to analyse the frequencies of selected barriers for healthcare seeking and 3) to analyse associations between socioeconomic factors and barriers for contacting the GP.
Data derive from a nationwide survey of symptom experiences among 100,000 randomly selected individuals aged 20 years and above. The questionnaire comprises, among other, questions about ED. This study focuses on men who reported bothersome ED and further reported, that they did not contact a GP regarding the symptom. Questions addressing barriers regarding GP contact included embarrassment, worrying about wasting the doctor's time, being too busy, and worrying about what the doctor might find. Information about socioeconomic characteristics was obtained from Statistics Denmark.
A total of 4072 men (18.3%) reported that they had experienced ED within the past four weeks. Of those, 2888 (70.9%) were categorized as having bothersome ED. In the group of men with bothersome ED 1802 (62.4%) did not contact the GP and 60.5% reported barriers for GP-contact. Of the reported barriers, the most frequent was 'being too embarrassed' (29.7%). In general, respondents in the older age groups were less likely to report embarrassment, business and worrying what the doctor might find. Respondents with highest attained educational level were less likely to report embarrassment and worrying.
Nearly two third of the respondents with bothersome ED had not contacted their GP. More than half of those reported barriers towards GP contact with embarrassment as the most frequent barrier. In general, respondents in the older age groups and with high educational level were less likely to report barriers.
勃起功能障碍（ED）很常见，会对心理健康产生负面影响。许多患者并未寻求医疗关注，且存在多种寻求 ED 治疗的障碍。人们对患者的社会经济特征与寻求 ED 治疗障碍之间的关联知之甚少。本研究的目的是：1）估计受 ED 困扰但未联系全科医生的男性比例；2）分析选定的寻求医疗服务障碍的频率；3）分析社会经济因素与联系全科医生障碍之间的关联。
数据来自一项全国性的症状体验调查，调查对象为 10 万名年龄在 20 岁及以上的随机个体。问卷包括 ED 等问题。本研究关注报告存在 ED 症状且未联系全科医生的男性。评估联系全科医生障碍的问题包括尴尬、担心浪费医生时间、太忙和担心医生会发现什么。社会经济特征信息来自丹麦统计局。
共有 4072 名男性（18.3%）报告在过去四周内经历过 ED。其中，2888 名（70.9%）男性被归类为有 ED 症状。在有 ED 症状的男性中，有 1802 名（62.4%）未联系全科医生，60.5%报告存在联系全科医生的障碍。在报告的障碍中，最常见的是“感到太尴尬”（29.7%）。一般来说，年龄较大的受访者不太可能报告尴尬、忙碌和担心医生可能发现什么。受教育程度最高的受访者不太可能报告尴尬和担忧。
近三分之二有 ED 症状的受访者未联系全科医生。超过一半的受访者报告存在联系全科医生的障碍，其中尴尬是最常见的障碍。一般来说，年龄较大的受访者和受教育程度较高的受访者不太可能报告存在障碍。
