Primary Care Clinicians' Knowledge and Perspectives about Sexual Dysfunction

Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) refers to problems with desire, arousal, orgasm, or pain, affecting approximately 12% of US women. Although FSD can be managed in primary care, most primary care clinicians do not regularly treat it. This survey of primary care clinicians practicing at a large US health system assessed perspectives on managing sexual dysfunction compared with other conditions, knowledge of prevalence of sexual dysfunction, and which specialty should be responsible for treating FSD.

We described the distribution of clinicians' survey responses. Of the 527 invited, 80 completed the survey (response rate: 15%). Most were women (68%), physicians (52%), and had >15 years of experience (43%).

The majority (88%) reported treating FSD is as important as treating other conditions that affect quality of life. Two-thirds reported disorders of desire, arousal, and orgasm could be managed in primary care, and 64% believed that pain with intercourse, typically addressed by Obstetrics/Gynecology, should be handled in primary care. Most primary care clinicians believed that treating FSD was at least as important as treating other conditions, yet up to one-third believed this responsibility should be left to a different specialty.

Educational interventions targeting primary care clinicians may increase the number who take on FSD management.