Attitudes of Sexual Medicine Specialists Toward Premature Ejaculation Diagnosis and Therapy

Premature ejaculation (PE) is one of the commonest sexual dysfunctions in men. Because the definition of and guidelines for the management of PE have been revised in recent years, our understanding of PE has changed.

To investigate the clinical practice patterns of sexual medicine specialists regarding the diagnosis and treatment of PE.

Attendees of the 17th Annual Congress of the European Society of Sexual Medicine, held in February 2015 in Copenhagen, Denmark, were asked to participate in a survey during the congress.

A 23-item, self-reported, closed-question questionnaire was distributed. Sociodemographic data, professional background, and personal practice patterns of the attendees were assessed in relation to PE.

In total, 217 physicians (median age = 47 years, range = 22-74) completed the survey. Most responders (79.3%) considered PE an important sexual dysfunction that should be treated. Almost half the participants stated there is insufficient information about PE for patients and physicians (46.1% and 45.2%, respectively). When asked about the main goal of treating PE, two thirds responded that main goal is to improve patients' sexual function and 35.9% responded that the main goal was to improve partners' satisfaction.

These findings confirmed that there are many differences among sex health experts in their understanding of PE. Educational activities are crucial in implementing the new guidelines on PE.