Attitudes and Performance of Cardiologists Toward Sexual Issues in Cardiovascular Patients

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the attitudes and performance of cardiologists regarding sexual issues in patients with cardiovascular diseases. METHODS: A nationwide survey was conducted in a sample of cardiologists, representative of Iranian cardiologists, in 2015. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Appropriate questionnaires were developed and used to ask participants about their attitudes, performance, and barriers regarding discussing sexual issues with patients with cardiovascular disease. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 202 cardiologists (138 men and 63 women) with a mean age of 44.25 years (SD = 8.45). Overall, 93.15% of cardiologists agreed with the importance of discussing sexual issues with their patients with cardiovascular diseases. Almost 76.7% of cardiologists agreed they had a responsibility to deal with patients' sexual problems, and 79.9% of them were aware of the association of cardiovascular disease with sexual problems of cardiac patients, but only 33% of them were confident in their knowledge and skills in this regard. Only 10.6% of cardiologists reported they frequently or always assessed sexual problems with their patients, but 51.50% of them stated they were responding to patients' questions about sexual problems. There was a significant association between performance and responsibility. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate a gap between cardiologist's attitudes and their actual performance and that their professional responsibility to address patients' sexual issues is a significant parameter for better performance.