Do extratherapeutic factors affect residents' decisions to prescribe medication for erectile dysfunction in ethically challenging scenarios?

PURPOSE: To examine residents' attitudes about prescribing medication for erectile dysfunction in ethically challenging scenarios. METHOD: In 2009, the authors surveyed internal medicine and family medicine residents at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, asking them to indicate how likely they would be to prescribe sildenafil citrate to patients in 10 hypothetical scenarios. Eight scenarios had three nested variables: sexual identity, HIV status, and risk level. Two involved adulterous behavior; these were compared with two with monogamous behavior. The survey included four attitudinal questions about medical care and societal values. RESULTS: Of 128 eligible residents, 81 (63%) responded. Respondents were more likely to prescribe sildenafil to hypothetical patients with low-risk behavior than to those with high-risk behavior (P < .001), more likely to prescribe sildenafil to patients who were HIV negative than to those who were HIV positive (P < .001), and more likely to prescribe sildenafil to monogamous patients than to patients in adulterous relationships (P < .001). Respondents who agreed that physicians are obliged to protect patients from their own risky behavior were likely to prescribe sildenafil in fewer scenarios than those who disagreed (P = .005). CONCLUSIONS: Extratherapeutic factors influenced residents' decisions about prescribing medication for erectile dysfunction. Paternalistic attitude was the only attitudinal factor that affected likelihood of prescribing sildenafil. Residency programs should help trainees understand the balance between respecting patients' rights and protecting society, and between personal values and professional obligations, as well as how biases may affect patient care.