General internist communication about sexual function with cancer survivors.

Background: Sexual dysfunction is an important issue that affects many cancer survivors who are increasingly being cared for by internists.

Objective: To examine the attitudes and reported practices of internists regarding survivorship care as it pertains to sexual dysfunction.

Design: Surveys were sent to 406 physicians affiliated with the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine. Of the 319 eligibles, 227 were returned (71% RR).

Main Results: Of the 227 responders, 46% were "somewhat/very" likely to initiate a conversation about sexual dysfunction; 62% "never/rarely" addressed sexual dysfunction. Each additional weekly hour spent in patient care was associated with a 2% increase in the likelihood of sexual dysfunction being addressed or discussions about sexual dysfunction being initiated. Reported inadequate preparation/formal training around survivorship issues was associated with sexual dysfunction being addressed less often (odds ratio [OR] = 0.45). Perception of patient anxiety or fears about health was associated with sexual dysfunction being addressed more often (OR = 2.38). Perceived preparedness to evaluate long-term effects was associated with a greater likelihood of physicians initiating discussions about sexual functioning (OR = 2.49).

Conclusions: Cancer survivors receive their long-term care from internists. Our results suggest that sexual dysfunction is often not addressed during their follow-up care. Additional training is needed to prepare physicians to negotiate this difficult issue.