[Determining factors in patient satisfaction with erectile dysfunction treatment]

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is associated with depression, anxiety and loss of self-esteem, deteriorating patient's quality of life. The present study aimed, to identify and evaluate key factors influencing patient's satisfaction with ED treatment. To analyze which of them have a greater impact on patient's self-esteem and satisfaction with different aspects of life.

The approach used was a multicentre, cross-sectional, epidemiological, observational study. The study group consisted of Spanish men over 18 years of age who received oral drug treatment for ED for at least 4 weeks before the study began. Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated from the important aspects for the patient to assess his satisfaction with treatment ("Erectile Dysfunction Inventory of Treatment Satisfaction" (EDITS) questions 4-11) and overall satisfaction with treatment (EDITS question 1), the self-esteem subscale of the "Self-esteem and Relationship" (SEAR) questionnaire, and the "Fugl-MeyerLife Satisfaction Check List" (LISAT-8) questionnaire.

A total of 1,646 patients were included. The most significant factors in connection with satisfaction with treatment for ED were; duration of the effects (r=0.7311 p < or = 0.0001), speed of action of the drug (r=0.7088 p < or = 0.0001), confidence in the ability to have sexual relations (r=0.7021 p < or = 0.0001) and partner satisfaction (r=0.692 p < or = 0.0001). The factors which had greatest impact on self-esteem were duration of the effects (r=0.6254 p < or = 0.0001) and confidence in the ability to have sexual relations (r=0.6372 p < or = 0.0001). The factors with the greatest impact on improvement in quality of life (Lisat-8 questionnaire) were: ease of use (r=0.4372 p < or = 0.0001) and speed of action of the drug (r=0.4131 p < or = 0.0001).

The factors which most influenced satisfaction with the treatment were also those which had most impact on the patient's self-esteem and emotional life.