Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2024

College/Unit

School of Medicine

Department/Program/Center

Occupational Therapy

Abstract

Sexuality can affect many areas of people’s lives; not addressing it in therapy is a disservice to patients. There is a clear need for occupational therapy intervention in this domain, and it is well within occupational therapy’s scope of practice. Yet, many occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) exclude addressing sexuality and sexual health in everyday practice. This study aimed to understand better the reasons for not addressing this topic with patients. The mixed methods approach consisted of an online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Respondents were OTPs currently practicing in various practice settings. The questionnaire was completed by 31 OTPs and the interview was completed by 3. Core ideas and concepts found in the qualitative data were used to further support the understanding of barriers influencing addressing sexual health concepts with patients. Results indicated while most respondents believed it was in occupational therapy’s scope of practice to address sex concepts, few respondents actually did so in clinical practice. If OTPs did address sex concepts, it was most commonly regarding positioning. Respondents believed embarrassment and comfort were the biggest barriers to addressing sex with their patients highlighting a gap between beliefs and practice. A greater understanding of how to best enable OTPs to utilize their entire scope of practice to increase patient’s sexual health and overall quality of life has been provided. Additionally, this study can be used to aid additional education in both academic and post-professional settings to increase OTP’s competence and comfort in addressing these topics.

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