Formación de Profesionales de la Salud 2: Objetivo 1 (THP-2)

Participants received a four-day comprehensive sexual health curriculum tailored for Africa.

This is a randomized, controlled, single blinded, trial, stratified by health profession, of the intervention versus waitlist control assessing the effects on sexual health knowledge, attitudes, and sexual history and counseling skills at medium (6-) and long-term (12 and 24 months) follow-up. At the end of the intervention as compared with waitlist controls.

The intervention was a 4-day, Afrocentric, comprehensive sexual health curriculum. Tanzanian faculty wrote the curriculum in English and Kiswahili to address the most common sexual health challenges clinicians experience in Tanzania. The 4-day curriculum covers sexual health across the lifespan, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) and sexual violence, clinical skills training, ethics, and community resources and cultural considerations.

Participants in this arm completed a follow-up survey and scheduled to receive the intervention after the end of the trial.

Sexual health knowledge was assessed using 16 multichoice items created by the research team. The items covered female sexual health concerns (2 items), sexual development and masturbation (3 items), sexual orientation (3 items), sexual violence (3 items), sexuality in middle age (3 items), sexual history taking and sexual counseling (2 items). Total scores were used for analysis (maximum total score of 16). Participants get one point for every item answer correctly. Because there are 16 items in this section, participants can have a minimum total score of 0 and a maximum total score of 16. A higher score signifies better sexual health knowledge.

Confidence in their ability to discuss the sexual health of patients, and confidence in their ability to discuss their patients' sexual health concerns were assessed using the Sexual Health Education for Professionals Scale (SHEPS). This section consists of 37 items where participants rate their confidence from (1) very unconfident to (5) confident. Because there are 37 items in this section, participants can have a minimum total score of 37 and a maximum total score of 185. A higher value signifies better confidence in the ability to discuss sexual health topics.

Confidence in their knowledge to assess the sexual health of patients, and confidence in their ability to discuss their patient's sexual health concerns were assessed using the Sexual Health Education for Professionals Scale (SHEPS). This section consists of 37 items where participants rate their confidence from (1) very unconfident to (5) confident. Because there are 37 items in this section, participants can have a minimum total score of 37 and a maximum total score of 185. A higher value signifies better confidence in having knowledge of sexual health topics.

Skills were assessed by faculty raters assessing two videos (per each time point) of student counseling blind to whether the participant was in the intervention or control group and whether the assessment was at baseline or follow-up. Each participant was rated on 10 items assessing their interpersonal communication (IC) abilities. Each item was on a 3-point scale (0=not done; 1=partially done; 2=done). The scale has a minimum score of 0 and a maximum score of 20 per video. The investigators aggregated scores for each time point by summing the two videos at each time point. Therefore, the minimum total score is 0 and the maximum total score is 40. A higher score value signifies better interpersonal communication skills.

Skills were assessed by faculty raters assessing the two videos (per time point) of student counseling blind to whether the participant was in the intervention or control group and whether the assessment was at baseline or follow-up. Medical history taking (MHT) was rated by six key pieces of information on a 2-point scale, where 0=not obtained information and 1=obtained information. The scale has a minimum score of 0 and a maximum score or 6 per video. The investigators aggregated scores for each time point by summing the two videos at each time point. Therefore, the minimum total score is 0 and the maximum total score is 12.

The SHEPS Attitudes section comprises 27 items. Participants rate their level of agreement (1=strongly agree; 5=strongly disagree), with 13 items being reverse coded. Because there are 27 items in this section, participants can have a minimum total score of 27 and a maximum total score of 135. Low scores correspond to "liberal" views and high scores correspond to "conservative" views.