Multidisciplinary approach to sex education of spinal cord-injured patients

The need for sex education of spinal cord-injured patients is often unmet by current rehabilitation programs. In the programs which do exist, therapeutic objectives vary widely, indicating a need for clarity and communication among professionals. An interdisciplinary approach to evaluating and treating sexual dysfunction is described which provides information to patients and families about sexual disorders related to spinal injury and offers counseling services to patients experiencing problems in their altered sex relations. Physiological, psychological, and social aspects of human sexuality as they are integrated into a multidisciplinary sex education program are discussed with specific recommendations for content which should be included in the information-giving counseling process.