Evaluation of Distance Education Using Educational Videos on the Sexual Function of Women with Diabetes Type II

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic systemic disorder, in which the metabolisms of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats is impaired due to a complete or partial deficiency of insulin hormone. One of the main problems of diabetic patients is sexual dysfunction, which can be improved through effective training. One of the educational methods of distance learning is that it has a positive and significant impact on learners. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of distance education on the sexual function of patients with type II diabetes.

The present experimental study was conducted on the population of all diabetic patients referred to a diabetes clinic in Zabol, Iran. In this study, 60 diabetic patients were selected using simple random sampling method and randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The data gathering tool consisted of two parts, namely personal characteristics questionnaire and standard sex function questionnaire of Rosen women. First, the researcher gathered information from the samples through referring to the research environment and distributing the questionnaires. In the next step, a training package was given to each individual in the intervention group. Afterwards, they were given 4 weeks to practice what they had learned in the training sessions. The participants in the control group only received routine care. After a month, the sexual function questionnaire was completed again by the patients. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 22).

The comparison of pre-test and post-test showed that in the intervention group, the mean of general sexual performance increased from 19.19 (21.3) to 92.20 (88.2), which was statistically significant (P=0.002). However, the means of overall sexual performance before and after the intervention were respectively 11.16 (72.2) and 34.18 (55.2) in the control group. Accordingly, there was no significant increase in the sexual functionality in the control group (P=0.26).

Regarding the high prevalence of sexual dysfunction, distance education can be used as an effective method for improving the sexual function of women with type II diabetes.