The Development and Refinement of a Web-Based Sexual Health Education Intervention for Pediatric Oncology Physicians...

Adolescent and young adult (AYA) oncology patients demonstrate an expressed need for improved sexual health (SH) communication with oncology clinicians, yet these conversations rarely take place, with clinicians identifying lack of education as a key barrier. This work describes the development and revision of a suite of educational modules aiming to improve clinician SH communication.

Literature review, data collected from prior research by the study team, and expert input from the Children's Oncology Group AYA Sexual Health Task Force were used to develop a series of interactive, online education modules. Clinicians, including physicians and advanced practice providers, were recruited by email across five academic institutions to review the modules and provide feedback through completion of an online open-ended survey. Themes derived from feedback guided module modifications.

The initial curriculum consisted of three interactive modules that focused on the importance of addressing SH with AYA patients, how to discuss SH with AYAs, and contraception/safe sex practices during cancer treatment. Fourteen pediatric oncology clinicians reviewed the modules and provided feedback. Collectively, participants described the modules as informative, well-organized, visually appealing, and relevant to clinical practice. Opportunities for improvement included an option to modify the speed of narration, the incorporation of more interactive features to facilitate learner engagement, and the need for additional content on sexual dysfunction.

This suite of clinician-focused SH education modules represents a key step in advancing AYA SH care throughout cancer treatment and survivorship. Future work will explore the efficacy of the modules on AYA-clinician SH communication.