Trends in Sexuality Education in United States and Canadian Medical Schools

Summary

There has been a concern that earlier gains in the teaching of human sexuality in medical schools may have eroded in recent years. An extensive survey of 109 U.S. and 13 Canadian medical schools revealed that a dramatic decrease in the number of curriculum hours devoted to human sexuality has not occurred. In fact, 28% of U.S. and 36% of Canadian schools have actually increased hours, and ninety-two percent of all medical schools responding currently offer core curriculum material in sexuality, averaging approximately 11 hours in U.S. and 18 hours in Canadian schools. Unfortunately, nearly a third of schools in both countries do not specifically address important health issues, such as sex and illness or disability, and some schools even neglect training in the taking of a sexual history. Data on these issues is important for making future decisions regarding the contents of the increasingly overburdened medical curriculum.