PWM3: ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF PATIENTS SEEKING THERAPY

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To describe erectile dysfunction (ED) patient demographics, comorbidities, treatment seeking behavior, and patient-reported use and outcomes of therapy. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was developed and pilot tested. The final survey instrument included selected demographics, questions regarding when patients first experienced ED symptoms, when patients first sought treatment for ED, patients' experience with ED treatments, patients' rating of how well a particular ED therapy worked, and comorbid conditions. Patients evaluated their experience with ED therapies on a Likert-type scale. RESULTS: During May and June of 1997, 285 questionnaires were given to patients while they waited to see their urologist for ED treatment. A total of 59.4 percent (n = 168) of respondents (n = 283) listed ?Caucasian, White? as their race. Age of the survey respondents ranged from 31 to 82 years with a mean age of 59.5 years (sd = 11.2). A total of 27.1 percent of survey respondents completed 4 years or more of college. A total of 31.4 percent of respondents reported 1996 household income of $30,001?$50,000. A total of 58.1 percent (n = 165) of the respondents listed ?Married/long-term partner? as their marital status. A total of 76.5 percent (n = 218) of respondents reported currently being treated by a physician for health problems in addition to ED. Respondents reported a mean of 2.9 years (sd = 5.1 years, range=< 1 year to 34 years) between first noticing the symptoms of ED and seeking professional medical treatment for those symptoms. A total of 239 (83.9%) respondents reported having tried at least one therapy option to treat their ED. The ED therapy mentioned most often was ?an injectable drug? with a mean rating of 3.8 (sd = 1.2). CONCLUSION: This multi-site, prospective study gives insight into patient demographics, comorbidities, experience with ED and its treatment and allows a better understanding of therapy health outcomes for this important medical condition.