A pilot study exploring sexual health clinician confidence and barriers to anal examination and proctoscopy in men who have sex with men.

ABSTRACT

Anal examination and proctoscopy are important skills needed to facilitate the diagnoses of STIs and cancer. Clinician (25 doctors/15 nurses) confidence was higher for anal examination versus proctoscopy (median Likert scores 4/5 vs 5/5, P≤0.05) and higher in doctors compared with nurses (median Likert scores 5/5 vs 4/5, P<0.008, 4/5 vs 2/5, P<0.005), and related to years of experience (5/5 vs 4/5, P<0.001, 3/5 vs 5/5, P=0.007). Barriers included lack of opportunities for training, concerns about patient reluctance, and lack of available equipment. We need to be innovative when up-skilling the specialist sexual health workforce using online training and optimising opportunities for clinical assessment of MSM.