Sex-positive Sexual Health:

Assessments of Current Knowledge and Practices, and Remediation of Gaps in Effective Inclusive Clinical Approaches to Sexual Health

Project title: Sexual Health History Taking and Practice

• Duration: 02/01/2018–present
• Investigators: Corina Lelutiu-Weinberger, PhD (Rutgers University); Andrea Norberg, DNP (Rutgers University); Nina Colabelli, DNP (Rutgers University)
• Funding Source: Chancellor’s Research Fund
• The purpose of this research is to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices related to sexual health history taking among in training and practice nurses, including those working through the Child Health Program (CHP) of New Jersey, and nurses who are currently in training or have graduated from the Rutgers School of Nursing (RSON). There is evidence indicating that there is reluctance on both the side of the provider and patient to discuss sexual practices and health. Such discussions and assessments, however, are essential in detecting risk and vulnerabilities in certain patients, or simply providing essential preventive information to youth who are not yet sexually active. There is also a need, across the board, to provide sensitive sexual health care to gender and sexual minorities, who are at high risk for co-morbidities, yet training to provide sensitive and culturally appropriate care is rarely included in curricula and continuing education. Furthermore, discussing sexual health early and in a positive manner has shown to be associated with delayed sexual debut, safer sexual practices, lower incidence of HIV/STIs, lower substance and alcohol use, and the development of overall healthy sexual practices that contribute to the wellbeing of youth and adults later in life. Therefore, it is essential to understand barriers faced by providers to engaging in comprehensive sex-positive sexual health discussions comfortably, and devise ideal supports for them to reach this mastery. We wish to identify nurses’ sexual health taking history 1) training, 2) education needs, and 3) barriers and facilitators to conducting comprehensive sex-positive sexual health evaluations. Two hundred CHP nurses and 500 RSON training and alumni nurses will participate in this research. These 700 participants will complete a 20-30 minute survey on their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices related to sexual health history taking. Of this sample, 50 of them will be randomly selected to participate in subsequent interviews and/or focus groups to further understand their experiences and needs vis-à-vis sexual health history taking in order to help us develop an educational curriculum. Based on these findings, an appropriate sexual health history taking educational curriculum and/or tool will be developed and tested in a randomized controlled trial.

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