Abstract
A survey of female clients and nursing staff in a variety of health care settings was conducted during 1995. The purpose of the study was to determine the barriers to effective sexual health interventions in these settings. Despite reasonably high levels of concern in women about becoming infected with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, the number of women who knew how to protect themselves was barely influenced by frequency of visits to the clinics. The main reason for this appeared to be the assumptions made by professionals, rather than determination of the risk status of clients, and the consequent inappropri ate targeting and use of unsuitable health education approaches. In order to take advantage of the enormous potential for health education interventions in these settings, there is a need for training and support to enable nursing staff to deal effectively with sexual health issues.