Table 3 Number and percentage of GPs reporting agreement (those who ticked partly agree, agree or strongly agree) and average agreement score (1 = strongly disagree; 6 = strongly agree) with listed barriers to discussing sexual health problems with patients with coronary heart disease.
Barrier | n agreeing | % agreeing | Mean agreement score (1-6) |
|---|---|---|---|
Not enough time | 44 | 72 | 4.0 |
Patient's lack of readiness | 44 | 72 | 3.9 |
Lack of training | 38 | 62 | 3.7 |
Concerns about increasing patients' anxiety and discomfort | 33 | 54 | 3.5 |
Patients perceived as too ill to address sexual issues | 31 | 51 | 3.5 |
Sexuality not seen as a problem by patient | 30 | 50 | 3.4 |
Elderly age of patient | 30 | 49 | 3.4 |
Presence of a third party | 28 | 46 | 3.4 |
Fear of offending the patient | 25 | 41 | 3.2 |
Lack of knowledge | 19 | 31 | 3.0 |
Issues relating to language and ethnicity | 17 | 28 | 2.7 |
Patient of opposite sex to GP | 17 | 28 | 2.6 |
Issues relating to culture and religion | 16 | 26 | 2.8 |
Embarrassment | 12 | 20 | 2.5 |
GP's own negative attitudes and beliefs about sexuality | 8 | 13 | 2.0 |
Perception that it is someone else's job | 5 | 8 | 1.9 |
A large age difference between GP and the patient | 4 | 6 | 2.0 |