Sexuality and society in the medical context: Conceptualization, implementation and evaluation of a student-led elective course in medical school at Leipzig University.

Physicians frequently avoid discussing sexual and gender-related health with patients due to discomfort and fear of causing offense, resulting in incomplete sexual histories and gaps in care.

• This avoidance particularly affects LGBTQI+ patients, who face significant health disparities.
• The problem was identified as a motivating gap that the course was designed to address.
• The issue exists within the German medical education context specifically.

A student-led elective course titled 'Sexuality and Society in the Medical Context' was developed and implemented at Leipzig University to provide medical students with skills and knowledge for effective sexual health discussions.

• The course was conceptualized, implemented, and evaluated as a structured educational intervention.
• Interactive teaching methods were utilized, including peer learning and role-playing.
• Topics covered ranged from sexually transmitted infections to gender diversity and LGBTQI+ health.
• The course was designed and led by students, representing a peer-learning model.

Student feedback on the elective course was highly positive, with high satisfaction reported across organization, content, and interactive elements.

• Participants highlighted the course's engaging format as a particular strength.
• Students noted the relevance of the course content to their medical education.
• Feedback was collected through a structured evaluation instrument.
• Satisfaction was reported to be high specifically with the course's organization, content, and interactive elements.

The elective course format was identified as having limited scope, with the authors concluding that similar training needs to be integrated into the core medical curriculum.

• Despite positive reception, the reach of an elective course is inherently restricted to students who choose to enroll.
• Integration into the core curriculum was described as 'crucial' for enabling future physicians to systematically address sexual health issues.
• The authors emphasized that core curriculum integration is necessary to overcome systematic biases.
• The goal of fostering a supportive environment for all patients was cited as a reason for broader curricular integration.

The course addressed health disparities faced by LGBTQI+ patients as a specific target population requiring improved physician competency.

• LGBTQI+ patients were identified as facing 'significant health disparities' in the current healthcare context.
• Gender diversity and LGBTQI+ health were explicitly included as topic areas within the course.
• The course aimed to help future physicians overcome 'systematic biases' relevant to this population.