The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between exposure to pelvic health related content in physical therapy school curricula and Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students’ comfort levels discussing sexual health issues with future patients.
A cluster sample of DPT students in the United States (n=167) completed a novel tool titled the Pelvic Health Curricular Exposure Scale (PHCES) via an electronic survey. The scale examined students’ comfort with and exposure to nine different topics within entry level DPT curricula including: cardiac disease in women, continence/incontinence, osteoporosis, bowel and colorectal health, lymphedema (unrelated to breast surgery), athletic injuries common in women, musculoskeletal dysfunction in pregnancy, pelvic floor dysfunction, and obstetrics.
Topics that were statistically significant included pelvic floor dysfunction (p .001; p .001), obstetrical issues (p = .051; p .001), colorectal health (p = .007; p .001), and incontinence (p = .009; p .001). Participating in a pelvic health elective (rpb = .05) or pelvic health clinical experience (rpb .003) was also positively correlated to comfort discussing sexual health with future patients.
Results of this study indicate that exposure to specific pelvic health topics in didactic and clinical education is positively correlated with student comfort discussing sexual health in future patients. Physical therapy programs should make a dedicated effort to implement pelvic health into curriculum with an emphasis on topics such as pelvic floor dysfunction, obstetrical issues, colorectal health, and incontinence, as well as to provide students with pelvic health electives and clinical experiences in order to expose students to content that may encourage a more holistic care approach to physical therapy practice. As physical therapy programs cite lack of time as a barrier to pelvic health content implementation, future research may investigate specific ways in which schools can overcome this barrier.
This study confirmed that physical therapists can be more holistic practitioners when they become more comfortable discussing sexual health. It also confirmed that the Pelvic Health Curricular Exposure Scale (PHCES) is a valid and reliable tool to assess student exposure to and comfort with pelvic health topics within DPT education. The tool is a starting point for programs to assess if students are prepared for holistic health care practices. Without the willingness to initiate conversations about sexual health, physical therapists lose the ability to care for a patient as a whole person. By incorporating specific topics into physical therapy education, as well as pelvic health clinical experiences and pelvic health electives, physical therapists may be better qualified to address all aspects of patients’ health, including mental, physical, and emotional wellness.
Sexual health
Education
