Physician-patient dialogue and clinical evaluation of erectile dysfunction.

Erectile dysfunction affects 31% to 52% of all men. Although considerable advances have been made in the diagnosis and management of erectile dysfunction, the inadequate knowledge of erectile dysfunction by health care providers still precludes them from initiating candid discussions with their patients. This article provides the health care professional with the ability to establish comfortable doctor-patient dialogue and to clinically evaluate erectile dysfunction in a goal-directed manner. The goal of evaluation is to find the appropriate treatment for the individual, dictated primarily by factors like the patients' preferences, comfort, cost, and the availability of treatment modalities.