scholarly journals Management of erectile dysfunction after prostate cancer treatment: cross-sectional surveys of the perceptions and experiences of patients and healthcare professionals in the UK

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. e030856 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Dyer ◽  
Mike Kirby ◽  
Isabel D White ◽  
Alison Michelle Cooper

ObjectivesErectile dysfunction (ED) is known to be a common consequence of radical treatment for prostate cancer (PCa) but is often under-reported and undertreated. This study aimed to explore how ED in patients with PCa is managed in real-life clinical practice, from the perspective of patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs).Design and settingThis is a UK-wide cross-sectional survey of men with ED after treatment for PCa which covered assessment and discussion of erectile function, provision of supportive care and satisfaction with management. Parallel surveys of primary and secondary HCPs were also conducted.ResultsResponses were received from 546 men with ED after PCa treatment, 167 primary (general practitioners and practice nurses) and 94 secondary care HCPs (urologists and urology clinical nurse specialists). Survey findings revealed inadequate management of ED in primary care, particularly underprescribing of effective management options. A fifth of men (21%) were not offered any ED management, and a similar proportion (23%) were not satisfied with the way HCPs addressed their ED concerns. There was poor communication between HCPs and men, including failure to initiate discussions about ED and/or involve partners, with 12% of men not told that ED was a risk factor of PCa treatment. These issues seemed to reflect poor access to effective ED management or services and lack of primary HCP confidence in managing ED, as well as confusion over the roles and responsibilities among both HCPs and men.ConclusionsThis study confirms the need for better support for men from HCPs and more tailored and timely access to effective ED management after treatment for PCa. A clearly defined pathway is required for the discussion and management of ED, starting from the planning stage of PCa treatment. Improved adherence to ED management guidelines and better education and training for primary care HCPs are areas of priority.

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pier Riccardo Rossi ◽  
Sarah E. Hegarty ◽  
Vittorio Maio ◽  
Marco Lombardi ◽  
Andrea Pizzini ◽  
...  

Deprescribing is a patient-centered process of medication withdrawal intended to achieve improved health outcomes through discontinuation of one or more medications that are either potentially harmful or no longer required. The objective of this study was to assess the perceptions of primary care physicians on deprescribing and potential barriers to deprescribing in the Local Health Authority (LHA) of Turin, Piedmont, Italy. Secondary objective was to evaluate educational needs of primary care physician. Cross sectional survey of primary care physicians working in the LHA of Turin, Piedmont, Italy. 439 GPs (71.3% of the total number of primary care physicians) attended an educational session related to deprescribing and were asked to anonymously answer a paper survey. Participants were asked to complete a previously published questionnaire about deprescribing and potential factors affecting the deprescribing process. A correlation coefficient was calculated to assess the association between physicians’ confidence in deprescribing and attitudes or barriers associated with deprescribing. Many GPs (71%) reported general confidence in their ability to deprescribe. Most respondents (83%) reported they were comfortable deprescribing preventive medications, however almost half expressed doubts regarding deprescribing when medication was initially prescribed by a colleague (45%) or when patient and/or caregiver supported the opportunity to continue the assumption (49%). Around a third of doctors maintain that the absence of strong evidence supporting deprescribing prevents them from considering it (38%), that they do not have the necessary time to effectively go through the process of deprescribing (29%), and that fear of possible effects due on withdrawal prevents them from deprescribing (31%). There was no strong correlation between physicians’ confidence and attitudes or barriers associated with deprescribing. The present study confirms that general practitioners sense the importance of deprescribing and feel prepared to face it managing communication with patients and caregivers, but find barriers when enacting the practice in a real-life context.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Kam Pui Lee ◽  
Ryan Chun Ming Choi ◽  
Licheng Liu ◽  
Tiffany Gao ◽  
Benjamin Hon Kei Yip ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Hypertension is the most common chronic disease and is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Its screening, diagnosis, and management depend heavily on accurate blood pressure (BP) measurement. It is recommended that the diagnosis of hypertension should be confirmed or corroborated by out-of-office BP values, measured using ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) and home BP monitoring (HBPM). When office BP is used, automated office BP (AOBP) measurement method, which automatically provides an average of 3–5 BP readings, should be preferred. This study aimed to describe the BP measurement methods commonly used by doctors in primary care in Hong Kong, to screen, diagnose, and manage hypertensive patients.Methods In this cross-sectional survey, all doctors registered in the Hong Kong “Primary Care Directory” were mailed a questionnaire, asking their preferred BP-measuring methods to screen, diagnose, and manage hypertensive patients. Furthermore, we also elicited information on the usual number of office BP or HBPM readings obtained, to diagnose or manage hypertension.Results Out of the 1738 doctors in the directory, 445 responded. Manual measurement using a mercury or aneroid device was found to be the commonest method to screen (63.1%), diagnose (56.4%), and manage (72.4%) hypertension. There was a significant underutilisation of ABPM, with only 1.6% doctors using this method to diagnose hypertension. HBPM was used by 22.2% and 56.8% of the respondents to diagnose and manage hypertension, respectively. A quarter (26.7%) of the respondents reported using only one in-office BP reading, while 40% participants reported using ≥12 HBPM readings. Doctors with specialist qualification in family medicine were more likely to use AOBP in clinics and to obtain the recommended number of office BP readings for diagnosis and management of hypertension.Conclusion Doctors in Hong Kong primary care prefer to use manual office BP values, measured using mercury or aneroid devices, to screen, diagnose, and manage hypertension, highlighting a marked underutilisation of AOBP and out-of-office BP measuring techniques, especially that of ABPM. Further studies are indicated to understand the underlying reasons and to minimise the gap between real-life clinical practice and those recommended, based on scientific advances.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. e0152086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaspal S. Taggar ◽  
Tim Coleman ◽  
Sarah Lewis ◽  
Matthew Jones

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. e020949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oriol Yuguero ◽  
Edward R Melnick ◽  
Josep R. Marsal ◽  
Montserrat Esquerda ◽  
Jorge Soler-Gonzalez

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate the association between physician and nurse self-reported empathy and burnout and the number of annual primary care visits per patient under their care.MethodsDesign: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted from January 2013 to July 2014. Site: The 22 primary care centres of the Lleida Health Region in Spain. Main outcome measures: The Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy and the Maslach Burnout Inventory were used to measure empathy and burnout, respectively. The number of visits and the number of diagnoses coded per visit were obtained through the Region’s electronic health record.ResultsTwo hundred and sixty-seven healthcare professionals (physicians and nurses, 52.6% participation of the total in the region) with 301 657 patients under their care. Healthcare professionals’ degree of burnout and empathy was associated with the number of annual visits per patient under their care. Burned out nurses and physicians received fewer visits (4.5vs3.7 in nurses and 18.1vs18.9 in physicians), whereas more empathic physicians received more visits per patient (19.4vs17.2, p<0.05) and documented more diagnoses per visit (10.2vs9.7, p=0.001). Less burned out and less empathic nurses documented more diagnoses per visit (10.2vs10.0 and 8.2vs9.9, p<0.05).ConclusionsThe number of annual primary care visits per patient that healthcare professionals receive is closely associated with healthcare professionals’ empathy and burnout. These results should serve to promote empathic skills and establish organisational changes that promote efficiency in the practice and, in turn, reduce the degree of burnout of healthcare professionals.


2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne K Linder ◽  
Sarah T Hawley ◽  
Crystale P Cooper ◽  
Lawrence E Scholl ◽  
Maria Jibaja-Weiss ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Kam Pui Lee ◽  
Ryan Chun Ming Choi ◽  
Licheng Liu ◽  
Tiffany Gao ◽  
Benjamin Hon Kei Yip ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Hypertension is the most common chronic disease and is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Its screening, diagnosis, and management depend heavily on accurate blood pressure (BP) measurement. It is recommended that the diagnosis of hypertension should be confirmed or corroborated by out-of-office BP values, measured using ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) and home BP monitoring (HBPM). When office BP is used, automated office BP (AOBP) measurement method, which automatically provides an average of 3–5 BP readings, should be preferred. This study aimed to describe the BP measurement methods commonly used by doctors in primary care in Hong Kong, to screen, diagnose, and manage hypertensive patients. Methods In this cross-sectional survey, all doctors registered in the Hong Kong “Primary Care Directory” were mailed a questionnaire, asking their preferred BP-measuring methods to screen, diagnose, and manage hypertensive patients. Furthermore, we also elicited information on the usual number of office BP or HBPM readings obtained, to diagnose or manage hypertension. Results Out of the 1738 doctors in the directory, 445 responded. Manual measurement using a mercury or aneroid device was found to be the commonest method to screen (63.1%), diagnose (56.4%), and manage (72.4%) hypertension. There was a significant underutilisation of ABPM, with only 1.6% doctors using this method to diagnose hypertension. HBPM was used by 22.2% and 56.8% of the respondents to diagnose and manage hypertension, respectively. A quarter (26.7%) of the respondents reported using only one in-office BP reading, while 40% participants reported using ≥12 HBPM readings. Doctors with specialist qualification in family medicine were more likely to use AOBP in clinics and to obtain the recommended number of office BP readings for diagnosis and management of hypertension. Conclusion Doctors in Hong Kong primary care prefer to use manual office BP values, measured using mercury or aneroid devices, to screen, diagnose, and manage hypertension, highlighting a marked underutilisation of AOBP and out-of-office BP measuring techniques, especially that of ABPM. Further studies are indicated to understand the underlying reasons and to minimise the gap between real-life clinical practice and those recommended, based on scientific advances.


2020 ◽  
pp. 205141582094663
Author(s):  
Patrick Jones ◽  
Hector Sandoval Barba ◽  
Mark I Johnson ◽  
Naeem Soomro ◽  
Wendy Robson ◽  
...  

Introduction: Post-radical prostatectomy erectile dysfunction (post-RPED) is a common and potentially devastating complication. The role of PDE5-inhibitors (PDE5-Is) in post-RPED is controversial and invasive pharmacological treatments are associated with poor long-term compliance. Vacuum erection devices (VEDs) are a non-pharmacological alternative. Little data regarding VED efficacy and associated patient satisfaction in post-RPED exists. This study aimed to investigate the outcomes of VED therapy in a post-robot assisted radical prostatectomy (post-RARP) population. Methods: All men who underwent RARP at a single centre between February 2015 and October 2017 attended a nurse-led holistic-needs-assessment (HNA) appointment at 10 weeks post-RARP. All men identifying ED as a concern at HNA were offered dedicated nurse-led post-RPED clinic and VED clinic appointments. A cross-sectional survey of patient reported outcomes in these men was performed. Results: In total 137/539 (25%) men reported ED as a concern at HNA. All 137 men attended the VED clinic, 124/137 (90%) responded to the survey. Commonest reason for choosing VED therapy was for combined psychological, penetration and lengthening purposes (48%). Median time from RARP to VED clinic and from VED clinic to survey was 122 days (range 56–595) and 462 days (range 66–932) respectively. At survey 88/124(70.9%) reported continued use of VED, 69/88 (78%) of this group perceived VED treatment to be successful. Of those who had stopped using VED, 7/36 (19%) felt it had been successful. Key reasons for discontinuation were either because men felt it ineffective (13/36 (37%)) or disliked the device (10/36 (29%)). Conclusion: VED therapy is an effective treatment for men with post-RARP ED that is well tolerated with good short- to medium-term compliance. Up to two-thirds of men may find overall satisfaction with their post-RPED after VED therapy. Level of Evidence: 3


Author(s):  
Sandrine Roussel ◽  
Alain Deccache ◽  
Mariane Frenay

Introduction: The implementation of Therapeutic Patient Education (TPE) remains a challenge. An exploratory study highlighted two tendencies among practitioners of TPE, which could hamper this implementation: an oscillation between identities (as caregivers versus as educators) and an inclination towards subjective psychological health objectives. Objectives: To verify whether these tendencies can be observed among an informed audience in TPE. Next, to explore the variables associated with one or other of these tendencies. Method: A quantitative cross-sectional survey by a self-administered questionnaire was carried out among 90 French-speaking healthcare professionals. Statistical analyses (chi-square, logistic regression) were then conducted. Results: Sixty percent of respondents displayed identity oscillation, which was found to be linked to task oscillation, patient curability, scepticism towards medicine and practising in France. Fifty-six percent pursued subjective psychological health objectives, which was found to be associated with health behaviour objectives and a locus of power in the healthcare relationship distinct from those seen in the pre-existing health models (biomedical, global). This tendency seems to constitute an alternative model of TPE. Discussion & conclusion: Identity oscillation and subjective psychological health objectives can be both observed. This study stresses the need to deliberate on the form(s) of TPE that is/are desired.


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