Men's Health Issues
Course #93764 - $90 -
- Participation Instructions
- Review the course material online or in print.
- Complete the course evaluation.
- Review your Transcript to view and print your Certificate of Completion. Your date of completion will be the date (Pacific Time) the course was electronically submitted for credit, with no exceptions. Partial credit is not available.
Among the male-specific conditions addressed in this course are prostate disease (prostatitis, benign prostatic hypertrophy, and cancer), testicular conditions (testicular torsion, epididymitis, varicocele), premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, late-onset hypogonadism, infertility, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Prostate cancer is discussed in considerable detail. Prostate screening is among the most controversial issues in health care today, and the issue is explored here, with recommendations for how to discuss screening with male patients. Also included are brief overviews of male breast cancer, a rare disease but one that is rising in prevalence, and health issues of specific concern for men who have sex with men (MSM), a growing population in the primary care setting. The psychosocial well-being of men is integral to overall health. The link between anger and stress and disease is mentioned, as is the major role substance abuse has in mortality and morbidity. Alcohol misuse and depression have both been underdiagnosed in men, especially older men, and strategies for screening are explored. The course closes with suggestions for fostering enhanced healthy behaviors among men, with recommendations for reaching out to men, ensuring appropriate health screening, and encouraging healthy behaviors.
- INTRODUCTION
- OVERVIEW OF MEN'S HEALTH ISSUES
- DISEASES AND CONDITIONS OF THE PROSTATE
- DISEASES AND CONDITIONS OF THE TESTES
- MALE BREAST CANCER
- MALE SEXUAL HEALTH
- HEALTH ISSUES FOR MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN
- HEALTH ISSUES FOR TRANSMEN
- PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING OF MEN
- FOSTERING ENHANCED HEALTH BEHAVIORS IN MEN
- CONCLUSION
- Works Cited
- Evidence-Based Practice Recommendations Citations
This course is designed for physicians, physician assistants, nurses, and behavioral health professionals seeking to enhance their knowledge of issues related to men's health.
The purpose of this course is to provide health and mental healthcare professionals with necessary information regarding conditions and health issues that affect men in order to facilitate more effective diagnosis, treatment, and care. As male-specific factors influence the provision and compliance to therapy, tools to ensure effective patient education for men are provided to increase the likelihood of positive outcomes.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Identify diseases that are more prevalent among men than among women.
- Describe the health implications of male gender identity and identify strategies to improve communication with male patients.
- Explain the diagnosis and treatment of benign prostate conditions and prostate cancer.
- Apply guideline recommendations for prostate cancer screening.
- Describe treatment options and assist patients in selecting a management strategy for localized prostate cancer.
- Distinguish among benign testicular conditions.
- Discuss the diagnosis and treatment options for testicular cancer.
- Discuss the differences between male and female breast cancer.
- Discuss diagnosis and treatment options, and assist patients in selecting a treatment strategy for sexual dysfunction (premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction).
- Devise a strategy for diagnostic testing and treatment of late-onset hypogonadism.
- List factors affecting male infertility.
- Promote patient education and disease prevention, implement effective screening, and select guideline-appropriate treatment of sexually transmitted infections.
- Identify issues of particular concern for men who have sex with men.
- Discuss the effects of substance misuse, depression, and stress/anger on the physical and psychosocial well-being of men.
- Discuss the importance of educating men about the need for screening, routine health maintenance, and healthy lifestyle.
Lori L. Alexander, MTPW, ELS, MWC, is President of Editorial Rx, Inc., which provides medical writing and editing services on a wide variety of clinical topics and in a range of media. A medical writer and editor for more than 30 years, Ms. Alexander has written for both professional and lay audiences, with a focus on continuing education materials, medical meeting coverage, and educational resources for patients. She is the Editor Emeritus of the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) Journal, the peer-review journal representing the largest association of medical communicators in the United States. Ms. Alexander earned a Master’s degree in technical and professional writing, with a concentration in medical writing, at Northeastern University, Boston. She has also earned certification as a life sciences editor and as a medical writer.
John M. Leonard, MD, Professor of Medicine Emeritus, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, completed his post-graduate clinical training at the Yale and Vanderbilt University Medical Centers before joining the Vanderbilt faculty in 1974. He is a clinician-educator and for many years served as director of residency training and student educational programs for the Vanderbilt University Department of Medicine. Over a career span of 40 years, Dr. Leonard conducted an active practice of general internal medicine and an inpatient consulting practice of infectious diseases.
Contributing faculty, Lori L. Alexander, MTPW, ELS, MWC, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Contributing faculty, John M. Leonard, MD, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
John V. Jurica, MD, MPH
Jane C. Norman, RN, MSN, CNE, PhD
Alice Yick Flanagan, PhD, MSW
The division planners have disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Sarah Campbell
The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.
Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.
It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.
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The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.
Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.