Exploring the Design and Delivery of Sexual Health Education for US-based Doctor of Physical Therapy Students

Abstract

Curricular guidelines to prepare United States-based Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students to address sexual health do not exist. The literature about this topic is scant and does not describe how DPT faculty design and deliver educational content related to sexual health. The available literature does not link curricular design and delivery to learning theories. This qualitative, phenomenological study explored how DPT educators (n=15) who teach sexual health determine the curricula for this topic and how they design learning experiences for their students. Participants reported a variety of content, design and delivery strategies, and resources that they use to guide curricula. Most participants did not use learning theories to guide their content, but they did advocate strongly for content inclusion in both the didactic and clinical components of their respective DPT programs. Student feedback was a major influence on content design and delivery. While research is still warranted to further understand the experiences of students learning this content, and the opinions of the patients who ultimately participate in physical therapy, this study provides a deeper understanding of the sexual health content that is currently taught in DPT programs.