Teaching of sexual medicine and gender issues in medical courses: students' perception

ABSTRACT

SUMMARY INTRODUCTION: In addition to reproductive purposes, human sexuality and sexual health are matters of great importance in the medical office. Despite this, there is still a deficiency in the training of Brazilian medical students regarding sexual medicine and gender issues. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to analyze the perception of fifth- and sixth-year students in relation to the teaching of sexual medicine and gender issues in medical courses. METHODS: This is a descriptive and cross-sectional study with students from the last 2 years of medical schools in the State of Santa Catarina (internship classes), through the application of a self-administered, semi-structured online questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 164 students answered the questionnaire, with 83.5% (137/164) saying they had taken classes on sexual medicine and 47% (77/164) saying they had taken classes on gender issues. The participants judged the teaching inadequate in most of the topics addressed, and there was no significant difference between students from public and private schools. Notably, 79.9% (131/164) of the students considered the teaching of sexual medicine insufficient or inadequate, while 87.8% (144/164) considered the teaching of gender issues insufficient or inadequate. CONCLUSION: The vast majority of students consider the teaching of sexual medicine and gender issues insufficient and inadequate.