Integrative Approaches to the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction

Integrative management of erectile disorder (ED) includes focused attention on both medical and psychosocial factors. Recent changes to the psychiatric diagnostic criteria for ED reflect an increasingly quantitative nosology and a shift towards an integrative view of biopsychosocial factors. This article outlines recent research that provides evidence for involving the patient’s partner, where possible, in a patient-centered model for the management of ED. Diagnostic challenges, including possible deficits in physician training and comfort in dealing with ED, are identified, and key elements of an integrative sexual status examination are described. Process-of-care standards for evidence-based practice serve to highlight the importance of integrative treatment. A treatment algorithm—based on these evidence-based guidelines and recent research on integrative and combinative practice—is provided, followed by a discussion of areas of focus for future research.