Community pharmacy detection of erectile dysfunction in men with risk factors or who seek treatment or advice but lack a valid prescription
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Pharmacists may be the first health care contact consulted about erectile dysfunction (ED).
AIM: To assess pharmacists' ability to detect ED and encourage patients to seek medical evaluation.
METHODS: This observational study conducted in Greece and Spain included men without a valid prescription for an ED medication but with a history indicating ED risk and/or who consulted a pharmacist about ED. Pharmacists completed a questionnaire about the patient. Patients completed the Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM); men with a score ≤21 (cutoff for ED) were educated (by case pharmacists) and referred and encouraged to see a physician (by case and control pharmacists).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Proportion of men with a SHIM score ≤21 and, of those, the proportion who visited a physician and credited the pharmacist for their visit. ANCOVA and chi-square test were used for continuous and categorical data, respectively.
RESULTS: Among the 451 men (mean ± SD age, 54.9 ± 12.9 years) questioned about ED, 90% had a risk factor (usually hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or diabetes), 28% had a previous diagnosis, 36% sought internet information, 38% self-medicated, 10% took medication obtained outside the pharmacy setting, and the first health care professional approached was a pharmacist (50%), physician (18%), or nurse (1%) at a median of 6 (range, 0-360) months after symptom onset. The SHIM score was ≤21 in 348 (77%) men. A lower score (indicating increased ED…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a cross-sectional, done in people. Its evidence level is 4 of 5 (Low · observational). Observational designs can show an association but not prove cause. Reported size: 451 participants or records.
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