Developing an intervention to help nurses improve the assessment and care of the sexual health needs of men with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (MenSH-IBD): a mixed methods study using co-production

RESEARCH QUESTIONS What is the current state of NHS provision of sexual health assessment and care to men with IBD? What are the barriers and facilitators to specialist nurses assessment of the sexual health needs of men with IBD?

What type of intervention(s) are likely to be effective and acceptable in improving nurse-led sexual health assessment and care of men with IBD?

BACKGROUND Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is gastrointestinal disease estimated to affect around 540,000 people in the UK.

Commonly diagnosed between the ages of 15-30-years, patients often have bloody diarrhoea, abdominal pain, incontinence, and fatigue. When severe, the disease can lead to hospital admission and surgery.

IBD can negatively affect sexual health and impact on patients relationships and quality of life, but men s needs have been neglected in research.

Men report that their sexual health is rarely discussed at NHS IBD clinic appointments and specialist information and support are lacking.

Gay or bisexual men appear particularly disadvantaged because of fear of judgement, lack of inclusion of same-sex partners, and the absence of information on the safety of anal sex.

In this study we will work with patients, their partners, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to develop a nursing intervention that addresses this unmet need through information, assessment, and support.

AIM Co-produce a prototype intervention to help nurses improve the assessment and care of the sexual health needs of men with IBD. OBJECTIVES 1. Identify how the sexual health of men with IBD is currently assessed and cared for by specialist nurses in the NHS. 2.

Gather ideas on appropriate and acceptable ways in which men s sexual health care in IBD could be improved. 3.Co-produce a prototype intervention to improve the assessment and care of the sexual health needs of men with IBD.

METHODS Three workstreams (WS) aligned with phase 1 of MRC framework for development of complex interventions: WS1 (months 1-12): three cross-sectional surveys involving NHS Trusts, specialist nurses, and patients to describe the sexual health assessment and care currently being delivered in the NHS.

WS2 (months 1-10): qualitative study involving interviews with male patients and their partners, and focus groups with health professionals, to explore appropriate and acceptable ways to provide sexual health assessment and care to men with IBD.

WS3 (months 12-18): a prototype intervention and draft logic model to improve the assessment and care of the sexual health needs of men with IBD will be co-produced with patients, partners, specialist nurses and other stakeholders.

IMPACT/DISSEMINATION We will work with our stakeholder group to develop a plan to disseminate the findings to clinicians, service user groups, and the public.

Outputs will provide nurses with improved understanding of the support, knowledge, and skills required to effectively assess and provide care for the sexual health needs of men with IBD that has the potential to have important immediate benefits to the quality of life of men and their partners, as well as act as a catalyst for further research studies with a clear trajectory to scalable patient benefit.