(065) Let’s Talk about Sex: Resident Run Didactic Curriculum
Authors: Sullivan M , Peled A , Pardanani S 
Published: May 2023

Introduction

The Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology (CREOG) includes sexual health learning objectives as part of the core education for Ob/Gyn training. Residents are expected to gain understanding of normal sexual function as well as common areas of sexual dysfunction. Unfortunately, several studies have demonstrated a lack of knowledge in this area by Ob/Gyn residents and that educational didactic programs are not standardized on this topic. In 2010, over 90% of post graduate year (PGY)3 and PGY4 residents reported attending fewer than 5 didactic activities on sexual function/dysfunction, with only 50% feeling able to perform a targeted physical exam. Over the past decade, there has not been substantial improvement in this subject matter. In a 2021 survey evaluating the sexual health CREOG objectives showed that more than half of Ob/Gyn residents were not able to describe the disorders of sexual function or list common medications that effect sexual function. This is not isolated to the US, with studies in other countries including Singapore and Brazil, showing residents lack formal training and residents want increased didactic time focused on sexual health.

Objective

Our hypothesis was that at our institution the baseline knowledge of sexual dysfunction among Ob/Gyn residents would be low. The primary objective was formulating a needs assessment through implementation of a pre/post survey with a curriculum component. The secondary objective was to determine what areas of sexual medicine are most commonly areas of confusion or where residents lack comfort in regard to patient care.

Methods

The resident-designed curriculum was built with collaboration from a pelvic floor physical therapist. The journal club format was based on American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Practice Bulletins, the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH) clinical pearls, and the North American Menopausal Society (NAMS) position statements. The pelvic floor physical therapy component focused on pelvic pain, perinatal considerations, and incontinence. The WCG IRB deemed this study exempt. After the pre-curriculum assessment was used to identify knowledge gaps, a month of one-hour weekly sexual health sessions were implemented followed by a post-curriculum survey.

Results

Due to small sample size, (N=14) there was no way to establish significance in our results. In general, areas that residents were weak and the curriculum focused on were: 1) Pelvic floor/vulvar/vestibular disorders. 2) Genitourinary syndrome of menopause and vasomotor symptoms of menopause. 3) Sexual medicine disorders (hypoactive sexual desire disorder, female sexual arousal disorder, persistent genital arousal disorder, female orgasm disorders, genitopelvic pain penetration dysfunction).

Conclusions

The baseline knowledge of sexual dysfunction and menopausal concerns among Ob/Gyn residents was low. However, implementation of a structured curriculum after a formal needs assessment improved comfort with these topics. Now that the baseline curriculum is designed it is imperative to expand to further residency programs (in Ob/Gyn as well as other specialties) to disseminate the knowledge to providers in training who require competency in sexual health concerns.

Disclosure

No