Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Jan-Dec:18:14799731211020322.
doi: 10.1177/14799731211020322.

Sexual health communication in COPD: The role, contents and design of patient information leaflets

Sandra Esperanza Rubio-Rask  1 , Ingeborg Farver-Vestergaard  1 , Ole Hilberg  1 , Anders Løkke  1
Affiliations
Review

Sexual health communication in COPD: The role, contents and design of patient information leaflets

Sandra Esperanza Rubio-Rask et al. Chron Respir Dis. 2021 Jan-Dec.

Abstract

Understanding need for support and information among people with COPD is important for the delivery of patient-centred care. Especially regarding intimacy matters, many people wish to remain sexually active but may be struggling to find out how, as information and communication regarding sexual health is scarce. This is especially true when it comes to people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The present review seeks to provide an overview of the role, contents and design of patient information leaflets (PILs) and discuss their application in sexual health communication for COPD. Based on the literature, a number of key points in the design of high-quality PILs are suggested, and important areas for the improvement of patients-clinician communication are highlighted. While PILs is a commonly used format to provide information in healthcare, other formats, e.g. video and podcasts, could be explored. Prioritizing the development of material to support communication in the future is necessary to address the needs of both patients and caregivers and to support clinicians in initiating conversations about sexual health and intimacy matters.

Keywords: COPD; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; communication; leaflet; sexual health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

    1. Keil DC, Vaske I, Kenn K, et al. With the strength to carry on: the role of sense of coherence and resilience for anxiety, depression and disability in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Chron Respir Dis 2017; 14: 11–21. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Strang S, Ekberg-Jansson A, Henoch I. Experience of anxiety among patients with severe COPD: a qualitative, in-depth interview study. Palliat Support Care 2013; 12: 465–472. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Strang S, Osmanovic M, Hallberg C, et al. Family caregivers’ heavy and overloaded burden in advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. J Palliat Med 2018; 21: 1768–1772. - PubMed
    1. Hanania NA, O’Donnell DE. Activity-related dyspnea in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: physical and psychological consequences, unmet needs, and future directions. Int J COPD 2019; 14: 1127–1138. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Griffin J, McKenna K, Tooth L. Discrepancy between older clients’ ability to read and comprehend and the reading level of written educational materials used by occupational therapists. Am J Occup Ther 2006; 60: 70–80. - PubMed