Sexual assessment and rehabilitation in focus at 16th EAUN Meeting

During three days, more than 300 nurses from around the world gathered in Madrid, Spain, to exchange knowledge and discuss some of the most interesting topics in urological nursing. During Day 3 of the meeting emphasis was placed on a holistic approach to the care of patients, with sessions focussed on the little-addressed theme of sexual assessment and rehabilitation.A discussion on PSA and whether it amplifies patient stress was also on the programme for the day.

The workshop on pelvic floor rehabilitation for LUTS provided the latest information on diagnostic and treatment of urinary incontinence, focussing on pelvic floor muscle function and its classification. This was followed by very practical tips on how to teach pelvic floor muscle exercises, particularly to difficult patients, and the results of a research into how pelvic floor muscle exercises affect the recovery of patients.

An ESU course on female sexual assessment and rehabilitation attracted an audience interested in this often overlooked topic. Particularly the idea that it affects not only women, but also the sexual function of the partner was examined. Through case discussion, some insights were provided into the difficulties of treatment due to hesitance to discuss sexual problems with health care professionals, and how to manage these situations.

The state-of-the-art lecture on the role of Prostate-specific Antigen (PSA) as a marker for prostate cancer (PCa) informed nurses about PSA, and its role in urological practice. Prof. Steven Joniau (BE) talked about the history of the marker, and about its rate of success. He also addressed the debates on the issue of PSA mass screening, and clearly differentiated between this practice and PSA testing. He showed that PSA testing can help detect prostate cancer, although its results are not always accurate; in some cases PSA scores may be low, even in cases of lethal PCa. Nevertheless: “If you are a healthy man age 55-69 who does not want to die from prostate cancer, the European Trial provides conclusive evidence that PSA testing can save your life.”