The long term goal of this study is to test the feasibility of an educational intervention that will provide sexual counseling to myocardial infarction (MI) patients. Sexual counseling is often neglected as a part of patient education. This leaves the patient with anxiety, fears, and misconceptions about resuming sexual activity. This may affect both the sexual integrity and overall quality of life for the individual and partner. Nurses are in key roles to provide patient education both in acute and community settings. Testing an intervention for sexual counseling will help meet the long term goal of finding the most effective teaching strategies for sexual counseling and later preparing nurses to implement sexual counseling.
The specific aims of this study are to: 1) test the effects of an intervention program on knowledge level, anxiety, return to sexual activity, sexual satisfaction, and quality of life in acute MI patients during the recovery period; 2) explore the relationship of outcome variables (knowledge level, anxiety, return to sexual activity, sexual satisfaction, and quality of life) to gender, age, and marital status, and 3) explore the interrelationships among the five outcome measures. To achieve these aims, this proposed study will use a two-group, quasi-experimental, pre-posttest design. Participants in the intervention group will receive written instructions plus a videotape to watch at home, designed to provide information and facilitate return to sexual activity post-MI. MI patients in the control group will receive the written instructions alone. The study will take place in a mid-sized city in a Midwestern state. The sample of 112 (56 control, 56 intervention group) will be referred by cardiac rehabilitation staff in the acute care setting. Data will be collected before the intervention and at 1, 3. and 5 months after the intervention using instruments with established and acceptable psychometric properties. Analysis will consist of quantitative data analysis relative to each aim and hypothesis. The results of this study will be used to develop a larger scale study that will focus on outcome variables with both patients and nurses.
| Steinke, Elaine E; Wright, David W (2006) The role of sexual satisfaction, age, and cardiac risk factors in the reduction of post-MI anxiety. Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs 5:190-6 |
| Steinke, Elaine E; Swan, James H (2004) Effectiveness of a videotape for sexual counseling after myocardial infarction. Res Nurs Health 27:269-80 |
| Steinke, Elaine E (2002) A videotape intervention for sexual counseling after myocardial infarction. Heart Lung 31:348-54 |
| Steinke, E E (2001) Use of videotaped interventions in research. West J Nurs Res 23:627-43 |
