Active and Protected: Developing a Safer Sex Handout for Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer

There is a critical need to engage adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer in conversations regarding safer sexual activity during treatment. Many providers, however, report lacking the knowledge and/or tools to engage in these discussions. This article describes the experience of one pediatric institution in assessing and addressing provider barriers to safer sexual activity discussions among AYAs with cancer. Feedback from patients and providers resulted in an educational handout detailing recommendations regarding safer sex practices for AYAs with cancer. Handout adoption, acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility are described alongside barriers to assist other institutions seeking to develop similar interventions.

Automated summary

There is a critical need to engage adolescents and young adults with cancer in conversations regarding safer sexual activity during treatment. This study describes how one pediatric institution assessed and addressed provider barriers to these discussions, and developed an educational handout detailing recommendations for safer sex practices for AYAs with cancer. The adoption, acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of the handout are discussed, along with barriers that other institutions may face when developing similar interventions.