Nurses' Provision of Sexual and Reproductive Health to Community-Dwelling Older Adults: An Integrative Review.

PURPOSE

To explore barriers and facilitators to nurses' provision of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care to community-dwelling older adults.

METHOD

An integrative literature review was performed using Whittemore and Knafl's method. Three databases were searched for research conducted between 2012 and 2023, and the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was used to determine the quality of included studies.

RESULTS

Nine studies were ultimately included for analysis, and themes were and . included: nurses' lack of knowledge about older adults' sexual health, discomfort discussing sexual topics, age-related stereotypes regarding older adults' sexuality, and older adults' lack of knowledge of and reluctance to discuss sexuality and sexual health issues. included: gender of health care provider, nursing education on effective communication strategies, encouraging open dialogue to challenge ageist perceptions, and sexual education for older adults.

CONCLUSION

Findings underscore the impact of stigma and negative ageist assumptions on whether discussions about SRH occur between nurses and older adults. There is a need for comprehensive education for nurses and older adults about SRH to recognize sexual health needs and promote open and constructive conversations. Moreover, research about how to best facilitate older adults' SRH is needed. [(10), 17-23.].