The sequelae of a stroke can negatively affect sex and intimacy for survivors and their partners.
This clinical article offers practical evidence-based recommendations for nurses to use in advising couples who may be experiencing sexual problems due to decreased desire, erectile dysfunction, vaginal dryness, paraparesis, pain, spasticity, fatigue, aphasia, concrete thinking, emotional lability, shame, embarrassment, fear, depression, or neurogenic bladder.
Recent research and clinical articles show that intimacy and sexual concerns are often ignored by the rehabilitation team, yet research shows that couples want information to assist them to maintain their sexual relationships. Using the PLISSIT model to address sexual concerns, nurses can facilitate discussions to aid couples toward improved sexual function and quality of life.
Rehabilitation nursing : the official journal of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses. 2016 Sep 09 [Epub ahead of print]
Donald D Kautz, Elizabeth R Van Horn
School of Nursing, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA. ., School of Nursing, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA.