Health Care Practitioners' Treatment Objectives and Criteria for Ending Treatment in Men with Premature Ejaculation.

Abstract

Criteria used by healthcare practitioners (HCPs) to set goals and assess when treatment was successful, met its goals, and/or should be ended has not been studied for men seeking treatment of premature ejaculation (PE). This study describes HCPs' priorities regarding treatment goals, assessment of success, and decisions to end treatment for men with PE, and examined whether HCP characteristics influenced these decisions. Overall, 240 medical and mental health professionals completed an online or in-person survey on treatment objectives and termination criteria in PE care. Results indicated that, according to HCP reports, patients' primary treatment goal was increased ejaculation latency, whereas HCPs themselves most strongly prioritized reducing distress and improving coping. For ejaculation latency, 44.7% of HCPs defined success according to the client's preferred level. Beyond latency, reduced stress and improved coping received the highest success rating, and 76.9% of HCPs reported moderate-to-high success in treating men with PE. Treatment termination was most often linked to increased sexual satisfaction and reduced distress. Professional training, identity, and PE treatment experience influenced goals, success assessment, and termination decisions. PE treatment requires explicit shared decision-making to align clinicians' biopsychosocial priorities with patients' symptom-specific expectations.