Document Type

Scholarship Project

Publication Date

8-2025

College/Unit

School of Medicine

Department/Program/Center

Occupational Therapy

Abstract

Background: Research has found that many Occupational Therapy practitioners lack confidence, competence, and fear discussing sexual health and activity with their patients, despite many patients wanting to discuss the topic (Rose & Hughes, 2018). This previous knowledge leads to the purpose of this study, to determine if continuing education on topics related to sexual health and activity increases OTPs’ confidence, competence, and sense of importance in addressing this with patients (Rabathaly & Chattu, 2019). Methods: This study assessed pre- and post-data for each participant'scompleted course survey in the sequence of the continuing education class. All participants were de-identified and reviewed to ensure they completed all components of the program by the research team. Results: The results indicated significance between pre- and post-data in multiple courses, and various effect sizes throughout the course topics. Confidence, competence, and sense of importance were evaluated for each course and all showed significance throughout the courses except for the importance in the LGBTQIA+ course. Discussion: This study concludes that, overall, the OTPs who completed these courses felt more comfortable, confident, and felt it was important to address sexual health and activity with future patients. This conclusion allows the research team to pinpoint the main barriers contributing to the topic not being addressed and gives direction for future research.

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