The start of sexual health curriculum development and evaluation at Stellenbosch University

Heidi van Deventer, Michael W. Ross, Jantien Thomson, Marlena du Toit, Mieke Poelsma, Marie Pienaar, Andre van der Merwe, Matthys H. Botha

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), developed a sexual health course to be integrated throughout the revised medical curriculum. Aim: To use the Sexual Health Education for Professionals Scale (SHEPS) to gather baseline and future follow-up data to inform curriculum development and evaluation. Setting: The first-year medical students (N = 289) of the FMHS SU. Methods: The SHEPS was answered before the start of the sexual health course. The knowledge, communication and attitude sections were answered with a Likert-type scale. Students had to describe their perceived confidence in their knowledge and communication skills to care for patients within specific sexuality-related clinical scenarios. The attitude section measured the students’ level of agreement or disagreement on sexuality-related opinion statements. Results: The response rate was 97%. Most students were female, and 55% of the class were first taught about sexuality in the age group 13–18 years. The students had more confidence in their communication skills than knowledge before any tertiary training. The attitude section revealed a binomial distribution, ranging from acceptance to a more restrictive attitude towards sexual behaviour. Conclusion: It is the first time the SHEPS has been used in a South African context. The results provide novel information about the range of perceived sexual health knowledge, skills and attitudes of first-year medical students before they start tertiary training.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbera3825
JournalAfrican Journal of Primary Health Care and Family Medicine
Volume15
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License

Keywords

  • SHEPS
  • curriculum development
  • medical curriculum
  • sexual health
  • sexual health course
  • taking a sexual history

PubMed: MeSH publication types

  • Journal Article

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