Burnout and Turnover… the Missing Variable: Why Professional Development Matters More Than Ever Men’s Health Month: Silent Conditions, Serious Consequences
By Terri Schmitt, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP, Executive Director
June is Men's Health Month, an opportunity to highlight conditions that significantly impact men's health outcomes but are often underrecognized in primary care settings. Men are less likely than women to seek preventive care and often delay evaluation until symptoms become severe. Advanced Practice Providers play a critical role in identifying risk factors, initiating screening, and creating a comfortable environment for discussions about sensitive health concerns.
1. Erectile Dysfunction: A Cardiovascular Warning Sign
Erectile dysfunction affects millions of men and is frequently underreported. Importantly, ED may be an early indicator of endothelial dysfunction, vascular compromise, and cardiovascular disease. Presentation of ED should include evaluation of cardiovascular disease and risk factors. For more information on ED, and our next topic low testosterone, check out Addressing Men’s Health Issues: Talking Erectile Dysfunction and Testosterone Therapy
2. Low Testosterone (Hypogonadism)
Fatigue, decreased libido, erectile dysfunction, loss of muscle mass, and mood changes are common complaints among aging men. However, these symptoms are often attributed to stress, aging, obesity, or depression. These can also be signs of low testosterone. Recognition of testosterone deficiency contributing to symptoms and appropriate testing should be considered both in these symptoms and ED. To learn more about low testosterone, NPACE has you covered with the above course noted under ED.
3. Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) remains predominant in men at a rate 2 to 3 times women, with nearly 13% of all adult men suffering from OSA. Yet OSA remains undiagnosed. Presenting symptoms include excessive daytime fatigue, snoring, resistant hypertension, obesity, or impaired concentration. Untreated OSA contributes to cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction, and decreased quality of life. Screening tools such as STOP-BANG can help identify patients who warrantfurther evaluation. Diagnosis and management of OSA requires clinician acumen. NPACE can help with Snore Wars: “The Apnea Strikes Back”
4. Depression and Mental Health Disorders
Men often experience depression differently than women including irritability, anger, frustration, substance use, sleep disturbances, or physical complaints rather than reporting sadness. Unfortunately, stigma surrounding mental health continues to create barriers to care and men are less likely to seek professional help. Routine screening and open conversations can help identify men who might otherwise go untreated. To find out more on depression screening and management NPACE offers Realizing the Potential of Rapid-Acting Treatments of Depression
5. Cardiometabolic Disease
Heart disease remains a leading cause of death among men. Hypertension, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidemia frequently coexist in a framework of metabolic disease and often progresses silently for years. Advanced Practice Providers in primary care have a unique opportunity to assess cardiovascular risk, encourage lifestyle modification, and implement evidence-based treatment strategies before complications develop. For more on cardiac disease, NPACE has several learning opportunities including Case Based Approach to Hypertension or Survival Guide to Heart Failure