Physician Outcomes Following an Intensive Educational Program on Erectile Dysfunction

Although erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common problem, it had not traditionally received much attention from medical educators in either undergraduate or continuing medical education. Recognizing that family physicians have an important role to play, an intensive interactive case-based, 1-day educational program was developed and run throughout Canada. The course included a precourse needs assessment to prepare physicians for the program and a postcourse reflective component offered 6 months after the program. The impact of the program was assessed by comparing pre- and postcourse questionnaire data which queried physicians' comfort with history taking, knowledge of male sexual dysfunction, and their usual management strategies. The course was run in 21 Canadian centers from January 1997 to May 1999 for family physicians, general practitioners, and specialists. There was a statistically significant difference between pre- and postcourse comfort scores. At the 6-months post course, physicians reported providing more care themselves and referring fewer patients for ED. The McNemar test indicated all therapeutic treatments were used by more physicians at the time of the postcourse measure. These findings suggest that the unique course design with the accompanying print material, coupled with recent physician and media interest in ED, provided an impetus for these changes.