Web based research in sexual medicine: a position statement of the European Society for Sexual Medicine

background although the use of the web has brought major advances in every step of the research process, this also comes with several methodological challenges.aim the article presents the european society for sexual medicine's position statements on key methodological concerns relative to web-based research in sexual medicine.methods the authors conducted a systematic scoping review of articles using web-based research methods in sexual medicine. for the creation of the statements, the authors processed the data from the methodology of the studies and formulated the final statements reaching 100% agreement in the group.outcomes european society for sexual medicine statements were provided on the following domains: definition of the population of interest, selection of the population of interest, data collection quality, response rate, self-reported questionnaire, consent, and legal obligations.results researchers should justify the relevance of the Internet population to the population of interest; should clearly describe how they identified study participants; should select and employ specific measures to avoid hoax; should explicitly describe the process of calculation of response and completion rates as well as the relative implications; should validate traditional sexual health questionnaires for online and, if possible, multilingual use; should not ignore consent in Web-based research; and need to be knowledgeable of the technical measures and legal obligations to protect anonymity. implications researchers are advised to include trained computer scientists in their group, have a good understanding of their legal obligations as to collecting, storing and disseminating personal data, and design their studies by taking into account the challenges of Web-based research.strengths and limitations the heterogeneity of the included studies and methodological low quality of most of them was a limitation, which also shows the importance of this study and the need for guidelines regarding web-based research.conclusion large uncontrolled samples could be a threat to the quality of the studies and increase bias if researchers are not mindful of the methodological challenges they would need to account for

The International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health Process of Care for Management of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder in Women

The International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health process of care (POC) for management of hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) algorithm was developed to provide evidence-based guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of HSDD in women by health care professionals. Affecting 10% of adult females, HSDD is associated with negative emotional and psychological states and medical conditions including depression. The algorithm was developed using a modified Delphi method to reach consensus among the 17 international panelists representing multiple disciplines. The POC starts with the health care professional asking about sexual concerns, focusing on issues related to low sexual desire/interest. Diagnosis includes distinguishing between generalized acquired HSDD and other forms of low sexual interest. Biopsychosocial assessment of potentially modifiable factors facilitates initiation of treatment with education, modification of potentially modifiable factors, and, if needed, additional therapeutic intervention: sex therapy, central nervous system agents, and hormonal therapy, guided in part by menopausal status. Sex therapy includes behavior therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, and mindfulness. The only central nervous system agent currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for HSDD is flibanserin in premenopausal women; use of flibanserin in postmenopausal women with HSDD is supported by data but is not FDA approved. Hormonal therapy includes off-label use of testosterone inpostmenopausal women with HSDD, which is supported by data but not FDA approved. The POC incorporates monitoring the progress of therapy. In conclusion, the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health POC for the management of women with HSDD provides a rational, evidence-based guideline for health care professionals to manage patients with appropriate assessments and individualized treatments