title: Guidelines for evaluating sex therapy.
abstract: Clinical advances in the treatment of human sexual dysfunctions must be documented by objective and scientific assessments of changes in patients as a result of the therapy. The principle guidelines for evaluating such changes include (1) the use of standard methods of interviewing patients and recording information obtained, both before and after treatment, (2) careful specification of treatment technique(s) used, standardized when applied to any group of patients, (3) assessment of patients' psychosocial as well as sexual functioning, (4) clearly defined criteria for diagnosis and outcome, (5) use of control or comparison groups, and (6) methodical in-person follow-up contacts. The procedures can be applied by clinicians in their individual practice as well as by independent evaluation programs. These guidelines, presented in this paper, provide a framework for reliable investigations to determine which treatments work best for which patients with which sexual dysfunctions.
mesh_terms: D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records / Q000592:standards; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires