Attitudes of Sexual Medicine Specialists Toward Premature Ejaculation Diagnosis and Therapy

Arik Shechter; Lior Lowenstein; Ege Can Serefoglu; Yacov Reisman

doi:10.1016/j.esxm.2016.05.001

Attitudes of Sexual Medicine Specialists Toward Premature Ejaculation Diagnosis and Therapy

Sex Med. 2016 Sep;4(3):e209-16. doi: 10.1016/j.esxm.2016.05.001. Epub 2016 Jun 23.

Authors

Arik Shechter¹, Lior Lowenstein², Ege Can Serefoglu³, Yacov Reisman⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
² Department of Family Medicine, Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Clalit Health Services and Neuro-urology Unit, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.
³ Department of Urology, Bagcilar Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. Electronic address: egecanserefoglu@hotmail.com.
⁴ Department of Urology, Amstelland Hospital, Amstelveen, Netherlands.

Abstract

Introduction: Premature ejaculation (PE) is one of the commonest sexual dysfunctions in men. Because the definition of and guidelines for the management of PE have been revised in recent years, our understanding of PE has changed.

Aim: To investigate the clinical practice patterns of sexual medicine specialists regarding the diagnosis and treatment of PE.

Methods: Attendees of the 17th Annual Congress of the European Society of Sexual Medicine, held in February 2015 in Copenhagen, Denmark, were asked to participate in a survey during the congress.

Main outcome measures: A 23-item, self-reported, closed-question questionnaire was distributed. Sociodemographic data, professional background, and personal practice patterns of the attendees were assessed in relation to PE.

Results: In total, 217 physicians (median age = 47 years, range = 22-74) completed the survey. Most responders (79.3%) considered PE an important sexual dysfunction that should be treated. Almost half the participants stated there is insufficient information about PE for patients and physicians (46.1% and 45.2%, respectively). When asked about the main goal of treating PE, two thirds responded that main goal is to improve patients' sexual function and 35.9% responded that the main goal was to improve partners' satisfaction.

Conclusion: These findings confirmed that there are many differences among sex health experts in their understanding of PE. Educational activities are crucial in implementing the new guidelines on PE.

Keywords: Attitude; Diagnosis; Premature Ejaculation; Premature Ejaculation Profile; Sexual Dysfunction; Therapy; Treatment.