Sex In Medicine Week: Addressing shortcomings in sexual health education

Sex in Medicine Week (SIMW) began in 2008 at SUNY Downstate by MD/MPH students to address perceived shortcomings in sexual health education in the Colleges of Medicine (COM) and Health Related Professions (CHRP). Based on previous years' data and feedback, SIMW 2011 organized five workshops on sexual health topics—LGBT health, contraception, abortion, taking a sexual history and sexual health and stigma among disabled populations. We received 109 anonymous student responses from surveys completed after presentations. Respondents quantified; level of knowledge, whether the subject was addressed in the curriculum, and if they wanted more emphasis on the topic. 72% of students felt sexual health topics were not covered in their education, and 91% desired more emphasis. Most students reported “minimal” or “average” knowledge of subjects. Knowledge of subjects varied significantly by school and topic (chi square). More students reported no knowledge about abortion (22%) and sexual stigma among disabled populations (20%) than other topics (8-12%). COM students reported better understanding of sexual history but worse understanding of contraception than CHRP students. This disparity suggests that certain topics are particularly unaddressed in our curricula. Sexual health is under taught in our community, yet students want to know more. Data suggests that students feel most undereducated about abortion and sexual health among the disabled, and comfort varies by school. SIMW may provide an opportunity to address these topics during the academic year but more work needs to be done by curriculum developers to address these education issues.