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
. 2025 Aug;81(8):4485-4499.
doi: 10.1111/jan.16703. Epub 2025 Jan 9.

Quality of Nursing Care: Addressing Sexuality as Part of Prostate Cancer Management, an Umbrella Review

Catherine Neenan  1 , Anna V Chatzi  1
Affiliations

Quality of Nursing Care: Addressing Sexuality as Part of Prostate Cancer Management, an Umbrella Review

Catherine Neenan et al. J Adv Nurs. 2025 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Sexuality is a fundamental aspect of health and wellbeing. The management of prostate cancer can result in erectile dysfunction and body feminisation, resulting in loss of masculinity and alterations of body image. Prostate cancer patients identify sexuality as an unmet need and report little or no communication with their healthcare providers on the topic.

Aim: This umbrella review aims to determine the barriers that may preclude nurses from discussing sexuality with prostate cancer patients.

Design: An umbrella review of systematic review studies was undertaken using the PRISMA guidelines.

Method: Five databases were comprehensively searched, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Cochrane and Prospero, from October 1, 2013 to December 1, 2023, using the defined criteria. A total of 11 systematic reviews were included in this review consisting of 10 with quantitative and 1 with quantitative/mixed methods approach.

Results: This study identified common themes, which were categorised into four groups: (a) lack of training and education, (b) age and years of clinical experience of nurses, (c) personal values and attitudes and (d) organisational factors. These factors contribute to why nurses feel unprepared and admit to not having adequate knowledge or expertise to have this discussion.

Conclusion: The findings of this study illustrate that nurses require specialised communication skills to manage sensitive discussion with patients. Education is crucial to facilitate and empower nurses to discuss sexuality with their patients. Developing a pathway to specialist referrals will encourage nurses to address this with their patients.

No patient or public contribution: For the preparation of this paper, no direct involvement of patients or public has been deemed applicable to this work. This is an umbrella review paper.

Keywords: barriers; nursing; prostate cancer; quality care; sexuality.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
PRISMA flow diagram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Agochukwu‐Mmonu, N. , Malani P., Wittman D., et al. 2021. “Interenst in Sex and Conversations About Sexual Health With Health Care Providers Among Older U.S. Adults.” Clinical Gerontologist 44, no. 3: 299–306. 10.1080/07317115.2021.1882637. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Akers, J. 2009. Systematic Reviews: CRD's Guidance for Undertaking Reviews in Healthcare. York: CRD, University of York.
    1. Aling, M. , Lindgern A., Lofall H., and Okenwa‐Emegwa L. A.. 2021. “Scoping Review to Identify Barriers and Enabling Factors for Nurse‐Patient Discussions on Sexuality and Sexual Health.” Nursing Report 11, no. 2: 253–266. 10.3390/nursrep11020025. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Allemani, C. , Weir H., Carreira H., et al. 2015. “Global Surveillance of Cancer Survival 1995‐2009: Analysis of Individual Data for 25,676,887 Patients From 279 Population‐Based Registries in 67 Countries (CONCORD‐2).” Lancet 385, no. 9972: 977–1010. 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)62038-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Almont, T. , Farsi F., Krakowski I., El Osta R., Bondil P., and Huyghe E.. 2019. “Sexual Health in Cancer: The Results of a Survey Exploring Practices, Attitudes, Knowledge, Communication, and Professional Interactions in Oncology Healthcare Providers.” Supportive Care in Cancer 27: 887–894. 10.1007/s00520-018-4376-x. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types