Candid Conversations: Talking with Female Patients about Sexual Health
Overview
Health care practitioners consistently underestimate the prevalence and importance of their patients’ sexual concerns. Few providers incorporate questions about patients’ sexual health as part of routine histories. This may be due to discomfort based on embarrassment or lack of preparation, time constraints or a belief that sexual history is not relevant to the patient’s chief complaint. Incorporating a sexual history promotes a more comprehensive picture of patients’ physical and emotional health and well-being, informs appropriate discussion about risk management and builds trust.
Candid Conversations: Talking with Female Patients about Sexual Health (CCF) provides learners with specific communication skills and enhanced confidence to elicit meaningful sexual histories from patients.
- Duration 1/2 Day
- Accreditation Approved for CE
- Available To Clinicians
- Course InformationDownload PDF
Audience
Candid Conversations: Talking with Female Patients about Sexual Health is targeted toward clinicians in family practice, internal medicine and women’s health. A wide variety of clinicians have benefitted from the Candid Conversations curriculum: clinical psychologists, sexual health educators and physicians, residents and nurse practitioners in internal medicine, family practice, oncology, gynecology and gynecological surgery. This workshop is appropriate for clinicians at all stages of their careers.
Workshops can accommodate 6 to 30 participants to ensure effective experiential learning in small and large groups.
Content
The content, principles and models used in this workshop are supported by extensive research and IHC’s expertise designing and conducting experiential communication skills training programs. More than 60 percent of the workshop is devoted to experiential learning via large and small group exercises. In this supportive and non-judgmental setting, learners practice specific communication techniques and taking a sexual history. Didactic presentations and video patient cases supplement the experiential learning techniques. The workshop is conducted by trainers who have successfully completed IHC’s train-the-trainer course.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this workshop, learners will:
- Identify three evidenced-supported reasons for the importance of proactively and routinely talking with female patients about their sexual health.
- Describe the four phases of the Ex-PLISSIT practice model.
- Demonstrate increased confidence in discussing the sexual health needs of female patients.
- Demonstrate the ability to apply the ASK-TELL-ASK model of providing patient education and assessing comprehension.
- Describe at least three distinct communication tools for discussing sexual health issues with female patients.
- Select and commit to using two communication tools in practice for six weeks following the workshop.
Methodology
The workshop is a fast‐paced interactive communication program with an emphasis on opportunities to practice skills and techniques, not simply to hear about them. Learners work in large and small groups to understand the barriers to broaching conversations around sexual health, analyze videotaped patient cases and practice newly-learned skills in contextually relevant cases.
All teaching methodologies are supported by research and practical evidence, taking into account varying individual learning styles and theories and practice of adult learning.
CME/CE
The Institute for Healthcare Communication is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians. IHC takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CE/CME activity. Candid Conversations: Talking with Female Patients about Sexual Health is designated by the Institute for Healthcare Communication as a continuing medical education activity meeting the criteria for 3.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Non-physician participants receive a certificate of attendance upon completion of the workshop that can be submitted to various accrediting bodies for continuing education credits.
See a brief video introducing IHC’s Candid Conversations curricula: