(PM-09) PIONEERING SEXUAL HEALTH SERVICES IN NORTHEAST BRAZIL: AN EXPERIENTIAL ACCOUNT

Sexual dysfunctions remain inadequately addressed in medical education, despite their prevalence and adverse impact on quality of life. In Brazil, there are scarce university-affiliated healthcare centers that focus on sexual health. These services play a critical role in diagnosing and managing sexual disorders and can be pivotal in the training of healthcare professionals, as well as in the advancement of research and outreach in sexual medicine. To describe the experience of establishing two sexual health centers in university-affiliated hospitals in Northeastern Brazil. This is an experiential report detailing the establishment of two distinct sexual health services. Both sexual health services started in different general hospitals in 2021, founded by a male and a female psychiatrists, authors of this paper. The initiative was prompted by the lack of dedicated sexual health services and the awareness of substantial patient distress stemming from sexual issues. Activities include patient consultations, case discussions, sexology seminars, and research project development, involving medical students and resident physicians, integrated into the psychiatry residency curriculum Referrals come mainly from other hospital specialties, but external referrals are also accepted. Collaboration with other healthcare professionals occurs through the analysis of clinical cases. The establishment of sexual health services within university-affiliated hospitals has a positive impact on patient care and contributes to the study of sexual medicine, an area often overlooked in medical education. Improvements are needed in patient recruitment, counter-referral procedures, and the systematic incorporation of medical student rotations. While these services hold promise, they require greater integration with other healthcare services and a closer collaboration with undergraduate medical education. No conflict.