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A new study has found that nurses are not addressing the specific needs of men in primary care.

To better meet the needs of male patients, nurses need to do more to assess their mental and sexual health and promote health and illness prevention. The current, one-size-fits-all approach to men鈥檚 health within the primary health care nursing industry is putting male patients at risk, according to research conducted within.聽The study found nurses were not addressing the specific needs of men in primary care.

Men鈥檚 health researcher Dell Lovett conducted the investigation as part of her Masters by Research studies at Deakin, in collaboration with Faculty of Health Associate Dean Professor Trish Livingston, Western Health Deakin Partnership Chair in Nursing Professor Bodil Rasmussen and Monash University鈥檚 Dr Carol Holden.

Lovett said in-depth interviews with nurses and male patients throughout regional and metropolitan Victoria identified more could be done to help nurses prioritise men鈥檚 health, leading her to pursue ongoing research into the area.

鈥淯nfortunately we found that a lot of nurses didn鈥檛 like to discuss sensitive or personal health issues with male patients,鈥� she said.聽鈥淢ale patients aren鈥檛 the same as female patients 鈥� their health needs are different, and nursing practices need to recognise that.

鈥淚t鈥檚 certainly true that men need to seek health care earlier than they do, but when they do present they are not engaging well with healthcare professionals, and are being treated with a one-size-fits-all approach.鈥�

Lovett said male patients often showed a lack of understanding of the role of primary health care nurses and exacerbated the issue by 鈥渘ot wanting to be seen as whingers鈥�.

鈥淭here are factors of masculinity and stoic culture among men 鈥� particularly older men 鈥� that cause them to avoid treatment,鈥� she said. 鈥淣o country in the world has a male life expectancy equal to that of women, and that鈥檚 not just a matter of genetics.

鈥淎ustralian blokes tend to think 鈥榮he鈥檒l be right mate鈥�, but if they presented earlier their survival would be much better.鈥�

Though some of the responsibility lay with patients, Lovett said more could be done to address what appeared to be an ad hoc and opportunistic approach to men鈥檚 health among some primary health care nurses.

鈥淢en deserve better targeted care than we鈥檙e currently giving them 鈥� we tend to take a much more reactionary approach after the damage has already been done,鈥� she said.聽鈥淭his is a national problem, and we need to talk about it more. When you do manage to get the blokes there you need to take advantage of the opportunity, but nurses don鈥檛 always have the knowledge and skills to apply action on the spot.鈥�

Professor Rasmussen said the study showed more could be done to emphasise the role of male patients and nurses in developing alternative approaches to men鈥檚 healthcare needs.

鈥淭his study ...聽highlighted a gap in perceived nurse education preparedness to embrace the contemporary health needs of men in their care,鈥� she said.聽鈥淚nterviews with both nurses and patients showed the need for an enhanced role for nurses to better engage men in sexual health, assess men鈥檚 mental health and promote health and illness prevention.鈥�

The original article 鈥楢re nurses meeting the needs of men in primary care?鈥� was published in the .

Image credit: 漏stock.adobe.com/au/Burlingham