Developing a support system to improve quality of life for erectile Research Paper

Developing a support system to improve quality of life for erectile dysfunction in prostatectomy - Research Paper Example The researcher states that one of the most inevitable aspects of the human life span is aging. What makes aging a great issue within the health community is that it brings with it numerous degenerative diseases and conditions. Some of these degenerative diseases include osteoarthritis, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Huntington’s disease, heart diseases and numerous others. Sometimes, some degenerative diseases or conditions affect one gender more than the other. For example, females have to deal with menopause and all the complications such changes in the body bring about For males, one of the conditions most have to face is erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction (ED) involves the inability to maintain, or even achieve, an erection that is adequate for satisfactory sexual intercourse. Although some temporary cases of erectile dysfunction have been documented in males, these can be attributed to factor s other than the degeneration of the human body. What is clinically relevant for healthcare providers as well as researchers is erectile dysfunction that involves a consistent failure to achieve and/or maintain erection which affects around half of all attempts at sexual intercourse. It is a common problem affecting men and thus impacting on the quality of life and their partners. This result into fear, loss of self esteem (self image), self confidence and depression. It has been estimated to affect more than 150 million men with only 20% of men seeking medical attention. (Aversa et al, 2004). In USA it affects between 20 to 30 million with risks of development being high with increasing age (Hellstrom et al, 2002). Numerous reasons have been provided for erectile dysfunction, including both psychological and physical factors. Psychological causes may involve stress, depression, relationship changes, low self-esteem, fatigue, performance anxiety, and numerous others (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2006). Although psychological causes are sometimes more common in temporary cases of erectile dysfunction, these factors can aggravate the dysfunction brought about by physical causes, especially among older males. On the other hand, physical reasons for erectile dysfunction include diminished testosterone levels, thyroid dysfunction, hyperprolactinemia, cardiovascular diseases, endocrine problems, and even the decrease in penile response to nitric oxide, the neurotransmitter responsible for the erection of the penis (LeMone, Burke, & Bauldoff, 2011). Another well-documented reason attributed to erectile dysfunction is prostatectomy. Prostatectomy involves the removal or resection of a portion of a prostate due to enlargement of the prostate or one of its lobes (Brunner, Smeltzer & Bare, 2010). Studies have established that one of the expected complications of prostatectomy, specifically radical prostatectomy, is erectile dysfunction. Such a complication is most attributed to the damage caused on nerves during the surgery involving the resection of the prostate. These damages can be attributed to actual physical trauma on the nerves involving penile erection, or to complications from the anesthetic used (Lewis, et al., 2011). Still, it must be acknowledged that almost all forms of prostatectomy, even those that aim to spare the nerves (i.e. laparoscopic and robot-assisted prostatectomy), lead to erectile dysfunction, although to varying degrees (Zippe, Nandipati, Agarwal, & Raina, 2006). Identifying problems The identified problems are lack of knowledge about the option treatments, emotional distress anxiety about performance, dissatisfaction, impaired self esteem which affect personal relationships, lack of support and understanding from other significant, spousal dissatisfaction and quality of life affected (Aversa et al, 200