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Health Care Practitioners' Treatment Objectives and Criteria for Ending Treatment in Men with Premature Ejaculation
Zsuzsanna Mirnics1, Paraskevi-Sofia Kirana2, David L Rowland3
1Institute of Psychology, Department of Personality and Clinical Psychology, Pázmány Peter Catholic University, Faculty of Humanities, Budapest, Hungary.
Insights
Healthcare practitioners (HCPs) prioritize reducing distress over ejaculation latency for premature ejaculation (PE) treatment. Shared decision-making is crucial to align patient and clinician goals for effective PE care.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Sexual Medicine
- Psychology
Background:
- Premature ejaculation (PE) treatment goals and success criteria among healthcare practitioners (HCPs) remain understudied.
- Understanding HCPs' perspectives is vital for optimizing PE management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe HCPs' priorities for PE treatment goals.
- To examine HCPs' criteria for assessing treatment success and termination.
- To investigate how HCP characteristics influence these decisions.
Main Methods:
- A survey was administered to 240 medical and mental health professionals.
- Participants reported on treatment objectives and termination criteria for PE care.
- Data were analyzed to identify trends and influencing factors.
Main Results:
- HCPs prioritized reducing patient distress and improving coping, while patients primarily desired increased ejaculation latency.
- Success was defined by client preference for latency (44.7%) and by reduced stress/improved coping.
- Most HCPs (76.9%) reported moderate-to-high success in PE treatment, with termination linked to sexual satisfaction and reduced distress.
Conclusions:
- A discrepancy exists between HCPs' and patients' primary goals in PE treatment.
- HCP training, identity, and experience significantly impact treatment goal setting, success assessment, and termination decisions.
- Explicit shared decision-making is essential to reconcile HCPs' biopsychosocial approach with patients' symptom-focused expectations in PE management.
Abstract:
Criteria used by healthcare practitioners (HCPs) to set goals and assess when treatment was successful, met its goals, and/or should be ended has not been studied for men seeking treatment of premature ejaculation (PE). This study describes HCPs' priorities regarding treatment goals, assessment of success, and decisions to end treatment for men with PE, and examined whether HCP characteristics influenced these decisions. Overall, 240 medical and mental health professionals completed an online or in-person survey on treatment objectives and termination criteria in PE care. Results indicated that, according to HCP reports, patients' primary treatment goal was increased ejaculation latency, whereas HCPs themselves most strongly prioritized reducing distress and improving coping. For ejaculation latency, 44.7% of HCPs defined success according to the client's preferred level. Beyond latency, reduced stress and improved coping received the highest success rating, and 76.9% of HCPs reported moderate-to-high success in treating men with PE. Treatment termination was most often linked to increased sexual satisfaction and reduced distress. Professional training, identity, and PE treatment experience influenced goals, success assessment, and termination decisions. PE treatment requires explicit shared decision-making to align clinicians' biopsychosocial priorities with patients' symptom-specific expectations.
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