Comment by Mary Clegg – Sex and Relationship Psychotherapist
If we are to believe the current media diatribe, then every time we visit our GP for an in growing toenail we will be asked about our sex life. Many are quite rightly up in arms about the prospect. Quite possibly, as many GPs will be cringing in their surgeries at the very thought of making a sexual health enquiry of any patient.
At the moment, there are two key stories in the media accusing the big pharmas of creating illness conditions to sell medicine (whats new about that?) and new guidelines brought out by the medical profession (British Society for Sexual Medicine in collaboration with the British Fertility Society, the British Menopause Society, the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, the British Association of Urological Surgeons, the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Pathologists and the Society for Endocrinology) to make routine sexual health enquiry more of a normal part of a healthcare professionals job.
John Dean (Sexual Physician and Clinical Director of Sexual and Gender Medicine with Devon Partnership NHS Trust and Sexual Physician to St Peters Andrology Centre at The London Clinic), has been quite clear in accusing the pharmaceutical industry of having a very cosy relationship with the medical profession and while this may be true it is balanced by the fact that the Pharma reps have to adhere to very strict guidelines produced by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI). There are few meetings offering valuable Continued Professional Development in the UK today not supported by these same pharmaceutical companies. Moreover, a lot of the research, development and training into sexual health is funded in this way. The significance here is that sexual health other than STIs and unwanted pregnancies is viewed as a Cinderella service and receives very little support from Government or other funding bodies.
What is really needed is some transparency, being up front and not blurring the boundaries between this valuable support and the status of the health care professionals and their duty to the patient or client, and the need to learn more about the subject.
Sexual functioning difficulties provide the ideal scenario for the NHS to practice holistic or multidisciplined care for patients where integration of medicine and psychology can be used to show better outcome measures. In other words, lets offer good assessment for patients, address their needs in a confident manner and provide them with treatment options that suit THEM.
The advent of Viagra has given men the impetus to raise the subject of erectile dysfunction with their doctor, when appropriate, but what about the women? Women all too often suffer in silence and will not come forward for help with sexual difficulties because there is no confidence that by raising the subject in consultation, the likely results will be discomfort and embarrassment. There is a perception that their GP will fob them off or be too embarrassed to bring it up in consultation themselves.
At Sheffield University Medical School all students receive lectures on sexual medicine. Experience has shown that bringing this topic up in the first place is fraught with difficulty, but once it is understood why it is so important to address the issues, over 70% agree that their practice will change for the better by taking sexual histories of their patients and by keeping their patients relationship dynamics at the forefront of case management. Doctors and other healthcare professionals do need training, and the media need to keep a grip of their knickers and get the facts straight and not indulge their alarmist tactics; then we will move out of the dark ages.
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For more comment please contact Mary Clegg on 01264 358853 or email her on mary@maryclegg.co.uk
The views of this comment are personal to Mary and do not reflect the opinion of any other body that she represents.
