As you may know, problems with your anus or rectum (bottom) can affect your sex life and wellbeing. While surgeons are well trained to fix these problems, they do not necessarily consider the impact this may have on your sex life.
We are performing a study to explore the impact that anal operations have on the wellbeing of men who have receptive anal intercourse (bottoming). We want to know how surgeons address anal sex when treating patients who have receptive anal sex (bottoming). We hope that your answers will change the way surgeons think about the impact of anal surgery and lead to better training for surgeons, and better outcomes for patients.
PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET
Research team:
- Dr Matthew Marino, General and Colorectal Surgical Fellow, Oxford University Hospital & Senior Clinical Lecturer, Tasmanian School of Medicine, University of Tasmania.
- Prof. Richard Turner, General Surgeon, Royal Hobart Hospital & Professor of Surgery, Tasmanian School of Medicine, University of Tasmania.
- Dr Anthony K J Smith, Research Associate, Centre for Social Research in Health, University of New South Wales.
- Dr Richard Case, Surgical Registrar, Western Health
- Dr Oliver Gregory, Junior Medical Officer, St Vincents Health
- Megan Kelly Medical Student, University of Wollongong and Registered Nurse
- Julio Quealy, Medical Student, Tasmanian School of Medicine, University of Tasmania.
Project Title
Perceptions of the surgical encounter for men who have sex with men with non-malignant anorectal conditions. (MSM Perceptions Study)
Invitation
You are invited to participate in this study to better understand the interaction between surgeons and gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men who have undergone surgery for non-cancerous anorectal conditions. Results from the study may identify ways to improve the training of surgeons and how they communicate with and support patients in relation to sexual wellbeing. The information we obtain may be used to make recommendations to surgical training bodies for the education of surgeons and trainee surgeons, and lead to the development of post-anorectal surgery guidelines for return to sexual intercourse.
What is the aim of the project?
We are exploring the impact of anorectal surgical conditions and operations on the wellbeing of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men through a questionnaire and/or confidential interview. We also want to know whether the surgeon explored sexual function at all when discussing the procedure you had, and how comfortable you were talking to your surgeon about this.
We also want to know if patients referred from an LGBTQIA friendly or sexual health specific practice had a better experience than those referred from regular GPs.
Why have you been invited?
You have been invited to participate in this study, as you identify as a man who has ano-receptive intercourse with other men in the last 5 years, and who has undergone a procedure for an anal, perianal or low rectal condition by a surgeon within the last 3 years.
Do you have to participate in this project?
Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary. If you decide to be involved, you may withdraw from the study at any time without question or penalty.
What is expected of you if you choose to participate?
This study may involve a short 10-15 minute online questionnaire which will be de-identified, and answers stored in a secure database. At the end of the questionnaire, if you consent to being contacted, you may be invited to participate in a semi-structured interview that will be conducted by telephone or online, where you will be asked further questions regarding your experience with your surgeon. We will contact you if you decide to leave your contact details for an interview. The interview will be scheduled for a time that suits you and it will take no more than 30 minutes of your time.
You may elect to just perform the questionnaire. We are grateful for your time whatever you choose to participate in!
Are there any possible risks or disadvantages to participating in this project?
If your condition or surgical consultation was distressing, answering questions or talking about this may bring up distressing memories. There will be links to support agencies such as Lifeline and QLife if you need to talk to somebody about this. Also, you may not wish to skip or not answer certain questions and are free to withdraw from the study at any stage without question.
Are there any benefits to participating in this project?
Whilst your participation may not directly affect you or your previous experience, your comments will be invaluable in helping us make future interactions a more pleasant experience for patients like yourself. You may find it beneficial to share your experiences with the research team. Your contribution may lead to recommendations to surgical training bodies to improve the training that surgeons and trainees receive around dealing with anal conditions and discussing sexuality.
You will not receive any payment for participating in this study.
Will participation in this project be kept confidential?
Your participation will be confidential and your answers unable to be linked back to you. Any quotes from the interview will be completely de-identified.
Will participants be recorded? If so, how will the recorded media be utilized?
Should you progress to interview, interviews will be audio-recorded, then typed-up for analysis. These will be stored in a secure storage system and de-identified.
What type of information will be sought from participants and how is it relevant to the project objectives?
As a participant, you will be asked questions about your experiences, feelings, and perceptions of your encounter with your surgeon about your anal condition. We will ask questions about your level of comfort in disclosing your sexual identity and how surgery has affected your sexual function. Your answers will enable us to achieve our goals of assessing how this interaction was, and if we need to make it better for patients.
How will data arising from the interview be managed?
Audio-recordings will be erased upon completion of the project. Interview transcripts will be stored on a password protected drive through the University of Tasmania server. Any personal details such as email address and telephone numbers will be removed from the transcripts once the interview is completed and checked. Any quotes from interviews or free-text comments will be deidentified. No quotes will be reported that contain information that may allow people to identify you.
What will happen to the results obtained from this project?
The results from the study will be collated, analysed and written-up for publication in a peer-review journal. Everyone will have access to this publication. We hope that the article will be widely read so that people can learn from our results.
Who is funding and organising this research?
The investigators of the study will not be paid. Any costs incurred may be recuperated through the Private Practice Fund of the Department of General Surgery, Royal Hobart Hospital. There is no other funding or financial disclosures associated with this study.
What if I have questions about this study?
Any queries about the academic or pedagogical content of this study can be directed to:
Dr Matt Marino
General and Colorectal Surgical Fellow
Oxford University Hospital
mattmarino51@gmail.com
OR
Prof Richard Turner
Professor of Surgery, Tasmanian School of Medicine
richard.turner@utas.edu.au
This study has been approved by the University of Tasmania Human Research Ethics Committee. If you have concerns or complaints about the conduct of this study, you can contact the Executive Officer of the HREC (Tasmania) Network on (03) 6226 6254 or email human.ethics@utas.edu.au The Executive Officer is the person nominated to receive complaints from research participants. You will need to quote ethics application number 29587.
How can I agree to be involved?
If you wish to participate in the study, clicking the next button will take you to a consent page where you can select the ‘yes’ option to be directed to the rest of the questionnaire.
At the end of the survey, you will be asked if you wish to be involved in the semi-structured interview. If you wish to participate in the interview, there will be an option to leave your contact details so we may contact you to further discuss the option of participating in an interview.
Thank you for your time.
There are 41 questions in this survey.
