PURPOSE
The purpose of this study is to examine the factors influencing the barriers faced by Korean nurses in addressing the patients' sexual health.
METHODS
The subjects in this study were nurses working at hospitals in Seoul and Jeonju. The data for this study were collected between November 2008 and December 2008. The subjects were assured of anonymity and confidentiality.
RESULTS
The barriers to addressing the patients' sexual health were moderate in the subjects. The nurses had moderate sexual knowledge and communication skills. In a stepwise regression analysis, the areas of work, communication skills, participation in sexual health training, and experience in Obstetrics and Gynecology accounted for 18.3% of the variance of the barrier for addressing the patients' sexual health.
CONCLUSION
These findings emphasize the need for the development of a patient-centered sexual health-related curriculum for nurses, which has been briefly discussed in Korea. An educational program that improves the nurses' communication skills will be effective in reducing the barriers to addressing the patients' sexual health and will help the nurses become sexual health specialists.