Community health nurses and family planning services for men

Current concerns about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), as well as unintended pregnancy, have drawn increasing attention to reproductive health services for men. This report presents information about responses by 844 community health nurses (CHNs) to a self-administered mailed questionnaire that included questions about the extent of the nurses' involvement in delivering or administering family planning services to men, their knowledge and attitudes about men and family planning, and their preparation for working with men. Our sample included CHNs in practice in five states and a sample of CHNs belonging to a national organization of public health nursing, in order to gain information about CHNs in practice in the field and CHNs more likely to be in an educational or administrative position and thus able to influence or to set policy. Two thirds of the nurses surveyed work with men in their reproductive years but only 17.8% delivered or administered family planning services to men (23% of the state sample and 12.5% of the organization sample). Deficits in knowledge about male birth control methods were identified; for example, only 32% knew the use-effectiveness rate of the condom. However, 90% of the CHNs knew the condom has to be put on before any genital contact is made. The CHNs' attitudes were positive; more than 90% said they felt men had equal responsibility with their partners in preventing unwanted pregnancies, using contraception, and contraceptive decision making. Yet, only 9.6% of the CHNs felt men have as much knowledge about contraception as women do. Seventy percent of the nurses felt tha sex education in schools was directed more to female students than to male students. More than 90% said they believed that family planning providers have a responsibility to provide services to men; but two thirds felt that nurses are not as well prepared to work with male as with female clients. Increased educational preparation may improve CHNs' knowledge about men and family planning and enable them to feel professionally prepared to deliver and administer the services they feel are necessary for male as well as female clients. There are 101,430 CHNs in the United States, working in public health departments or other service agencies in almost every community across the country. These CHNs are a major resource for the family planning field.