Radiation therapists lack counseling to address erectile dysfunction in prostate cancer

Further education is needed for radiation therapists on providing psychosexual counseling and clinical information to patients with prostate cancer experiencing erectile dysfunction, according to findings presented at the Congress of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology.

“We found that a large proportion of therapists either did not address erectile dysfunction during discussions with patients about their disease, or only mentioned it if the patient raised the issue first,” Carla O’Connell, a radiation therapist at Trinity College in Dublin, said in a press release. “As far as we could ascertain, in many cases neither therapist nor patient felt comfortable enough to raise the topic. A lack of time and the perception that patients do not expect radiation therapists to ask about sexual matters were the biggest barriers to addressing the problems of erectile dysfunction that we found.”

In the quantitative study, researchers evaluated questionnaire responses of 56 radiation therapists in Ireland. The questionnaire was designed and administered by the study investigators and encompassed an adaptation of the Sexual Attitudes and Beliefs Survey (SABS). The investigators also gathered further information about management, responsibility for information dissemination and consideration of the penile bulb during treatment planning.

The researchers found that the mean SABS score of the participants was 34. Qualitative analysis revealed that main obstacles to providing information on erectile dysfunction were perceived lack of responsibility, discomfort and a lack of confidence. In terms of initiating a discussion of sexual concerns with the patients, time limitations were found to be the biggest barriers among radiation therapists.

Providing education to radiation therapists about how to convey sexual information to patients was found to significantly lower emotional and psychological obstacles toward these discussions.

O’Connell said the aforementioned barriers appear to be preventing crucial communication between radiation therapists and patients.

“We found that responsibility for educating patients on these matters was being shared between radiation therapists, nurses, and radiation oncologists, often with no clear direction as to who should be doing what,” O’Connell said. “It would be interesting to follow up this study with a survey that ascertained radiation oncologists’ role in erectile dysfunction education; for example, whether they currently discuss the issue at an early stage in patient treatment. I would also like to see whether training in discussing sexual issues with patients might help radiation therapists feel more confident in their ability to do so.”

For more information:

O’Connell C. Abstract #E33-0098. Presented at: Congress of the European Society of Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) 33; April 4-8, 2014; Vienna.

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.