PLISSIT Model

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the most prevalent among non-communicable diseases, worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (2015), CVD is the number one cause of mortality worldwide: more people die annually from CVD than from any other condition. According to Rogers et al., (2011), 251.2/100,000 people die due to CVD each year, globally. Abbas, Kitchlew, and Abbas (2009) have reported that 5.09 million people in Pakistan suffer from Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) and MI.
MI is an irreversible condition that requires many lifestyle modifications (Svedberg et al., 2012). These lifestyle modifications include physical exercise, sexual behavior modification, dietary changes, smoking cessation, weight management, and psychological
Structured strategies such as a use of the PLISSIT model can assist HCPs in dealing with patients sexual concerns. The PLISSIT model is a part of the nursing curriculum and it is being used for sexual health assessment in the Pakistani cultural context. The PLISSIT has been used for 35 years in helping HCPs to understand their roles while addressing patients’ sexual concerns. Another approach, BETTER, can be used by HCPs in dealing with patients sexual issues (Steinke et al. 2013). No study has been conducted in Pakistan to assess the level of knowledge regarding sexual counseling of post- MI patients. Therefore, the aim of this study is to measure the level of knowledge among cardiac nurses and physicians about sexual counseling of post-MI
The primary research question for the study was: What is the level of knowledge among cardiac HCPs regarding sexual counseling of post-MI patients, in three tertiary care hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan? The study settings were the Coronary Care Units (CCU), the Cardiac Step-down Units (CSDU), Cardiac Rehabilitation Units, and the Cardiac Clinics of three tertiary care hospitals of a large metropolitan city of Pakistan. The study population consisted of all nurses and physicians working in selected study settings. In the Pakistani culture, both nurses and physicians provide sexual counseling in different contexts. Nurses usually discuss the resumption of sexual activity after MI, as well as warning signs of MI if it occurred after sexual activity, and physicians usually discuss the effects of cardiac medications on one’s sexual life. Nurses typically provide information to patients of the same gender. The study sample was derived based on the following inclusion and exclusion criteria. HCPs were included in the study if they met the following criteria: (1) All HCPs who had worked in a cardiac setting for at least six months at the time of data collection; (2) Nurses who were either diploma holders, Generic BSc.N, Post RN BSc.N, and MSc.N graduates; (3) Physicians who were at least cardiology fellows (cardiology consultants were included); and (4) HCPs who gave voluntary consent to