(076) IMPACT OF AN ONLINE EDUCATION INTERVENTION ON HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS' SELF-EFFICIENCY FOR ASSESSMENT AND CARE OF CLIENTS EXPERIENCING FEMALE SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION
Authors: Montgomery J , Marea C , Benyounes J 
Published: June 2024

Introduction

In the United States, nearly half of all women will report having at least one type of female sexual dysfunction at any given point in their lives. Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD) is defined as a disturbance in sexual desire, psychophysiological changes that characterize the sexual response cycle, and marked sexual distress and interpersonal difficulty. Most women feel their healthcare provider should discuss their sexual concerns, yet few report being asked or screened about their sexual health. Women may seek care to address their sexual health concerns because sexual concerns can affect their quality of life.

Objective

The specific aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an online educational intervention about female sexual dysfunction on the knowledge and self-efficacy of healthcare providers.

Methods

The project is a single-arm effectiveness study that used a pre-test/post-test design, aiming to improve self-efficacy of physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and certified nurse-midwives who provide gynecological care. Participants were recruited via convenience and snowball sampling. The participants provided demographic and pre-test data before viewing the educational intervention and completed the post-test immediately following.

Results

Forty-three participants completed responses to the entire questionnaire, including pre and post-test. The majority of participants identified as female (91%), Caucasian (51%), nurse practitioners (81%) providing gynecological care for 6-15 years (53%) and live in the South (58%). Following the intervention, participants demonstrated a significant increase in confidence in their ability to communicate about sex with older adults (p &lt; 0.001, d 0.51) and with those who have differing sexuality from their own (p &lt;0.00, d 0.53). There was an increase in confidence in the knowledge to care for patients with religious/spiritual convictions about sexuality (p &lt; 0.006, d 0.40) and sexual problems related to a medical, pharmacological, or surgical treatment (p &lt; 0.009, d 0.38). Participants reported fewer learning needs following the educational module with a moderate to large effect size across different competencies.

Conclusions

Educating health care providers using an online educational module may lead to more confidence in the healthcare providers’ communication with, knowledge of, and attitudes related to female sexual concerns. Healthcare providers can provide the necessary support and care for the women they serve by educating themselves to properly obtain sexual health history screening, physical exams, diagnoses, and treatment options. Online educational modules have enhanced healthcare providers' knowledge on various topics. The results of this study can be useful in creating education for healthcare providers in caring for FSD. Further studies are needed to determine the long-term effect of online education modules on the screening of female sexual dysfunction, attitudes and behaviors, effect on the self-efficacy of healthcare providers.

Disclosure

No.