Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Department of Cardiology, AZ Maria Middelares Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.
Int J Clin Pract. 2021 May;75(5):e14063. doi: 10.1111/ijcp.14063. Epub 2021 Feb 10.
Although heart failure (HF) patients often consider sexual activity as an essential aspect of their quality of life (QoL) and are usually uncertain if it is safe to perform sexual activity, this topic is overall poorly addressed in clinical practice.
The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions and practices of Flemish caregivers.
Healthcare providers were recruited through convenience sampling and filled in an adapted version of the UNITE Sexual Counselling Instrument. Several relevant network structures in Flanders were used to distribute the questionnaires-online as well as on paper-to healthcare workers being involved in the care to HF patients.
Results of 180 participants indicated that 51.5% of the healthcare providers have never provided sexual counselling in HF patients. Being male, having a masters' degree, having more than 10 years of experience in cardiovascular disease, working in an ambulatory care department and having more positive attitudes were independently associated with a higher provision of sexual counselling in practice.
Although healthcare providers perceive it as their responsibility to discuss patients' sexual concerns, these issues are not often addressed in daily practice. Increasing knowledge in healthcare providers and specific practical training in providing information on sexual activity in HF patients are recommended. Further studies are needed to investigate how sexual counselling can be provided in agreement with HF patients' expectations and needs.
心力衰竭（HF）患者通常认为性行为是其生活质量（QoL）的重要组成部分，并且通常不确定进行性行为是否安全，但这一话题在临床实践中总体上并未得到充分关注。
本研究旨在探讨 Flemish 护理人员的认知和实践情况。
通过便利抽样招募医疗保健提供者，并填写 UNITE 性咨询工具的改编版。在 Flemish 使用了几种相关的网络结构，以便将问卷分发给参与 HF 患者护理的医疗保健工作者-在线和纸质问卷。
180 名参与者的结果表明，51.5%的医疗保健提供者从未在 HF 患者中提供过性咨询。男性、拥有硕士学位、拥有 10 年以上心血管疾病经验、在门诊部门工作以及持有更积极的态度与在实践中提供更高水平的性咨询独立相关。
尽管医疗保健提供者认为讨论患者的性问题是他们的责任，但这些问题在日常实践中并不常被提及。建议增加医疗保健提供者的知识，并提供有关 HF 患者性行为的具体实践培训。需要进一步研究如何根据 HF 患者的期望和需求提供性咨询。
