Men's help-seeking and engagement with general practice: An integrative review.
Ruth Mursa, Christopher Patterson, Elizabeth Halcomb
PMID 35384022WHAT IT FOUND
Men described avoiding general practice when appointments were inconvenient, waiting rooms felt unwelcoming, and fear or embarrassment made help-seeking seem weak.
They usually came for acute problems rather than preventive care.
Key findings
01Poor appointment availability and limited after-hours access made general practice hard for working men to use.
02Fear, embarrassment, masculinity and stoicism were reported as internal barriers to men's help-seeking.
03When men sought general practice advice, it was usually for acute illness or injury rather than preventive care.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only English-language peer-reviewed primary research from 1999 to 2021 was searched, and the authors said few papers met the aim, so relevant studies may be missing. Titles and abstracts were screened by one author, although full texts were independently screened. Most included studies were qualitative, so the review reports themes rather than tested effects. Sample sizes varied widely, from five to 13,763 participants. No included study reported participants' sexuality, and the review focused on people assigned male at birth rather than gender or sexually diverse people.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that changing opening hours or waiting rooms will increase men's attendance. The review synthesises reported barriers and does not test a service intervention.