Nurses’ Attitude and Practice Regarding Sexual Health Care in Patients with Cancer

ABSTRACT

Background@#The purpose of this study was to investigate the levels of attitude and practice regarding sexual health care in patients with cancer among nurses. @*Methods@#This study used a cross-sectional descriptive design. Participants were 152 nurses who care patients with cancer at a general hospital in Gangwon province. Data were collected from November 7 to 10, 2016 using self-report questionnaire including each 17 item of sexual health care scale-practice and attitude. @*Results@#The subjects’ average age was 29.8±6.3 years, and oncology nursing experience was 7.3±6.2 years. Nurses’ attitude was the average score of 26.6 out of 51. Practice was 2.63 out of 21. Formal education about sexual health care (t=2.01, P=0.048) had significant influenced on nurses’ attitude and age (F=4.45, P=0.013) and working site (F=3.28, P=0.013) on nurses’ practice. The relationship between nurses´attitude and practice toward cancer patients´ sexual health nursing was statistically significant (r=0.33, P=0.001). @*Conclusions@#The findings of this study indicate that it is imminent for nurses to acquire various information about sexual problems with patients during cancer treatment. Educational programs for sexual health care for nurses need to be developed to provide cancer patients to improve their sexual health.