Discussing sexual health among Flemish patients with Parkinson's disease

Purpose: Parkinson’s disease (PD) can lead to sexual dysfunction. Yet, studies have shown that neurologists do not often discuss possible sexual health consequences with their patients. Thus, in this study, we investigated the communication on sexual health between healthcare workers and PD patients in Flanders, Belgium. Methods: Through an online survey, PD patients were contacted. Sexual dysfunction was measured with the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX), stage of PD with the Hoehn and Yahr scale, and self-made questions on the communication between healthcare workers and PD patients. Results: In total, 100 PD patients responded, of which 23% had possible sexual dysfunction. Of these respondents, 60% had never received any information about possible sexual health consequences. More than half (58%) of the patients felt their neurologist should provide information on possible sexual health consequences, though only 14% had ever received information from their neurologist. Male respondents expressed a greater need for information than female respondents (p =.049), although no difference between both groups in receiving information was found (p =.294). In addition, low to middle educated people generally received more information than higher educated people (p =.018). The more severe the disease is, as measured by the Hoehn and Yahr scale, the more information a patient receives (p =.012). The most frequently mentioned barriers in discussing sexual health are a lack of initiative by the neurologist (41%) and awkwardness to discuss sexuality (41%). Conclusion: This study showed that PD patients expect information from neurologists on possible sexual health consequences, but seldom receive information. More attention should be given to training neurologists in discussing sexual health.Table 1Characteristics of the sample (N = 100)Table 2pppASEX scores are meansTable 3 ^*p <.05 ^**p <.01 ^***p <.001Table 4Pseudo R ² NagelkerkePseudo R ² Cox & SnellTable 5.