Thank you to everyone who participated in our recent survey! Ninety-nine of you responded and gave us some really helpful feedback. Here’s a summary of the results:
Who answered the survey?
• Most of the people who responded lived in BC (83%). We heard from both men (81%) and women of all ages: 30% were under 35, 52% were between 35 and 55, and 18% were over 55. Respondents described their sexual orientation as bisexual, gay, pansexual, straight, kinky, and lots of things in between—in other words there’s not a simple box or label to describe you all! Most survey participants were clients of SPs, and about 20% were SPs themselves.
What did you think of having a health nurse on PERB?
• Through this survey, you told us you are largely satisfied with having a health nurse on the PERB site. 98% said our service was important and useful, and 91% agreed that their knowledge of sexual health increased after reading the health information forum or chatting with a nurse. Thanks for the encouragement! We’re glad you find this service helpful, and we’ll keep doing what we’re doing.
• We were also curious about whether the nurse suggested that you get tested for STI or HIV. We learned that most of you who chatted one-on-one with a nurse (93%, in fact!) did either go for testing after that chat, planned to go for testing, or already got tested before the chat.
Where are you getting sexual health information?
• 74% of those who answered the survey have a health care provider (doctor, nurse, etc.) whom they routinely see if they have a health concern, but only half said they feel comfortable talking with their provider about sexual health.
• Thankfully, we heard you say there are other places to get information about sexual health. 40% of survey respondents have looked for sexual health information on a website other than PERB in the last 6 months, either visiting our Health Nurse Wordpress page, the BCCDC website, or STIResource.com, or using good ole Google to find what you need.
• Thanks for all of the suggestions for sexual health topics you haven’t managed to find online. Some of you are still looking for information on HPV, herpes, or risks for getting STI with certain behaviours, just to name a few of the topics that came up. Don’t forget you can always post a question on the health information forum or ask the nurse if you have a question but can’t find the answer.
What more can we do?
• Three-quarters of respondents said they would be interested in using an internet-based STI testing service. You’re in luck! This is one of several services we’re working on at the BC Centre for Disease Control, as part of a program to offer more sexual health and STI prevention services online. Stay tuned!
• Finally, we heard a number of helpful suggestions for ways we can improve our service. We have reviewed them all and will use them to guide our project as we find new ways to provide sexual health information online.
Thank you once again to everyone who participated. What do you think of these results? We’d love to hear your thoughts…
HN
