Integrating Sexual Health into General Health Care

Since the beginning of the modern medical era, sexual health care has been separated from general health care. Today, leading experts in science, medicine, and community health believe that sexual health care should be fully integrated into general health care, allowing all patients to enjoy comprehensive health care services.

Understanding Comprehensive Health Care

The push to provide patients with comprehensive health care is growing, as more individuals and medical professionals begin to realize the positive impact that integrated health services can have. With a comprehensive health care strategy, providers can increase patient engagement and improve long-term outcomes.

Definition of Comprehensive Health Care

According to the American Academy of Family Practitioners, comprehensive health care is defined as the concurrent prevention and management of both emotional and physical health conditions. Comprehensive health care takes into account more than just symptoms and considers economic, social, and personal factors as part of an overall health care strategy for an individual patient.

Role of Integrated Health Services

Integrated health services have become more prevalent over the past several decades, and now they play a critical role in a patient's overall primary care experience. More than 99 percent of primary care practices in the United States now have a behavioral health care component. In addition, practices with onsite behaviorists increased by more than 27 percent between 2017 and 2020.

Importance of Sexual Health in General Health Care

For years, sexual health care has often fallen by the wayside. Today, medical experts recognize that sexual health plays a critical role in a person's overall well-being, and there is increased demand to integrate sexual health care into general health care.

Sexual Health as a Component of Overall Health

Sexual health plays a fundamental role in an individual's physical and social health. Additionally, positive and effective sexual health care can actually strengthen social units within a community. Rather than separating sexual health from general health care, medical professionals should work to include it as a vital piece of any patient management strategy.

Benefits of Including Sexual Health Services

The Guttmacher Policy Review notes that there are broad benefits associated with including sexual health services as part of a comprehensive health strategy. These are some of the medical and social benefits.

• It improves access to reproductive health services.
• It reduces the prevalence of STIs in a community.
• It helps prevent high-risk pregnancies.
• It works to reduce obstetric complications.
• It reduces the occurrence of reproductive cancers.
• It allows patients to play an active role in their own family management strategy.
• It reduces the stigma associated with STIs and other reproductive or sexual diseases.
• It helps to reduce poverty and spur economic development.

Health Care Policy and Sexual Health Integration

Health care policy development in the coming years will play a pivotal role in sexual health integration. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that universal access to health care relies heavily on the ability to integrate sexual health care and wellness programs into general health care. By recognizing that this will require both political commitment and medical expertise, the WHO continues to compile materials and resources for policymakers to use as they work to develop legislation.

Current Health Care Policies and Recommendations for Better Integration

Current sexual health care policies in the United States lag behind those in other nations. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that these policy recommendations can help improve access to comprehensive medical care:

• developing policies that promote sexual health education programs in schools, improving access to people of all ages
• creating policies that increase sexual health care services for patients in the welfare system to improve health equity overall
• developing policies that allow for universal access to comprehensive sexual wellness and education programs
• creating policies that offer equitable access to contraceptives

Effective Health Care Delivery Methods

To improve patient outcomes, health care providers and policy experts must collaborate to come up with effective health care delivery methods. Ultimately, the goal of all professionals involved should be to improve access while working toward health equity, particularly when it comes to sexual health education and services.

Models of Integrated Health Services

There are several models of health care integration to consider.

• Primary Care Integration — This model encourages primary care providers to become the home base for patients, allowing patients to receive comprehensive collaborative care from one clinical setting.
• Public Health Integration — This model encourages primary care providers to develop health care strategies in cooperation with public health officials, ultimately linking health care practice with health care policy.
• Social Health Integration — This model encourages primary care providers to consider social and environmental factors as part of comprehensive medical care.

Training Health Care Providers

Training health care providers about the benefits of integrated, holistic health care can help speed up incorporating sexual health and wellness into general patient care strategies. Health care providers should routinely partake in ongoing professional development training that provides them with information about the best sexual health care practices and the power of integrated health services. Medical education programs can also provide health care providers with updates about recent health care policy advances, allowing them to better advocate for their patients and serve their communities.

Implementing Sexual Health Services in General Practice

By recognizing the importance of sexual health services as part of a holistic health care strategy, providers can begin implementing these services into their general practice. Knowing that there will be challenges ahead, providers should still focus on creating a comprehensive health care strategy that provides patients with all of the services they need and deserve.

Steps for Implementation

The best steps for implementing sexual health services into general practice include:

• creating a safe and supportive clinical environment for open conversations.
• using evidence-based screening tools.
• incorporating sexual health services into routine appointments, such as an annual physical or wellness check.

Overcoming Barriers to Implementation

While the importance of sexual health care and wellness services is obvious, there are still barriers that exist. Recognizing these barriers to implementation can help providers offer comprehensive health services and improve patient care coordination. Some of the most common barriers to implementing sexual health care services in general practice include:

• Lack of access to accurate knowledge among patients
• Lingering social stigmas about sexual health and well-being
• The role of cultural beliefs and religious traditions and practices

Patient Health Education and Engagement

Patient health education plays a vital role in integrating sexual health services into general health care. These programs help patients become more comfortable with the information and allow them to feel more involved in their own health care plan.

Educating Patients on Sexual Health

Discussing sexual health with patients can be difficult, and it does require medical professionals to have a deep sense of cultural awareness. While simultaneously navigating social norms and expectations, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) adds that providers can educate patients on sexual health by:

• avoiding assumptions.
• starting honest and frank conversations about sexual health.
• creating a safe space to discuss sexual health history.
• offering personalized support and guidance.

Encouraging Patient Involvement

Providers should also work to encourage patient involvement in their sexual health. By offering patients options and information, providers can increase patient engagement, as they feel that they have the autonomy to make the decision that is right for them.

Measuring the Success of Integration

Once your integration efforts have begun in earnest, you will have to monitor your progress and measure the success of your initiatives. By monitoring key metrics and adjusting accordingly, you will be able to seamlessly integrate sexual health care into your comprehensive medical care strategy.

Key Performance Indicators

Some of the key performance indicators that you can use to measure your success include:

• Operational Health Care KPIs — These indicators showcase operational performance at your clinic. They can help you determine patient expectations and improve patient outcomes.
• Financial KPIs — These indicators allow you to evaluate the financial performance of your clinic as you work to offer integrated health services.
• Facility KPIs — These indicators highlight internal processes and the steps that need to be taken to improve integration efforts.

Continuous Improvement

Monitoring your progress and measuring your success will allow you to see that continuous improvement is always required. As health care policy changes and social norms shift over time, you can continue to improve your sexual wellness offerings.