A piece of research I led in 2023 examined how nurses perceived men’s health within their individual clinical practice. This research was published in the International Journal of Men’s Social and Community Health (Vol.6, Issue 1).
Background to Nursing and Men’s Health Research
As a clinical nurse who has worked in the disciplines of emergency nursing, prostate cancer nursing, chronic and complex diseases and remote health; it has been curious to observe how clinicians perceive men’s health within the areas of their practice.
The evidence has been established for some time, that men are likely to die younger and from more preventative conditions compared to females. However, even within the ever-enlarging breadth and bureaucracy of the health system, men’s health rarely if ever is proposed as a (sub) discipline to invest in.
Below I have provided a summarised version of our research examining Australian nurses perceptions of men’s health.
Nursing and Men’s Health Research Aims
The primary aim of this study:
- To survey senior clinical and executive nurses on their understanding of men’s health as it pertains to contemporary clinical practice and future engagement.
- To assess senior nurses’ participation in men’s health activities and, their willingness to engage in any future men’s health programs
The nurses in this study were asked to answer 9 close ended questions seeking to understanding their views regarding men’s health.
Nursing and Men’s Health Survey Results
A total of 83 survey responses were received.
Gender as a determinant of health was affirmed by 60.2% of respondents, with 33.7% disagreeing and 6% unsure.
Participants supported the view that targeted health promotion can affect change behaviour in patients (95.2%) with a similar number (92.8%) discerning that men’s health extends beyond the traditionally accepted men’s health domains of urology, sexual dysfunctions and hypogonadism.
Most senior nurses also identified that traditional masculine traits such as stoicism and machoism could affect help-seeking behaviour in male patients (89.2%).
54% of senior nurses reported never having participated in men’s specific health promotions within their hospital or outpatient department.
Over 60% of senior nurses reported that they have never held discussions on men’s specific agencies (e.g., Men’s Shed’s, MensLine or Healthy Male Australia) with their patients previously.
Overall, nurse’s reception of any future men’s health education programs being delivered within their ward or department was favourable (74.7%).
Nurse Educators were the only nursing cohort surveyed to report negative views on the reception of a future men’s health education program for nursing staff.
Real Men’s Health Takeaway
To the best of our knowledge, this survey specifically seeking the insights of senior nurses into men’s health is the first of its kind ever published.
The results of this research of senior nurses illustrate that while foundational understandings of gender as a determinant of health were divided, there remained strong endorsement for targeted men’s health promotion to patients and the development of men’s health educational programs to support nurses in providing for their male patients.
