A nurse practitioner is using the PLISSIT model to guide a discussion of sexuality with an older patient in the geriatric clinic. Which of the following are congruent with the PLISSIT model? (Select all that apply.)

Question

a. "What concerns or questions do you have about fulfilling your sexual needs?"
b. "Let me tell you about the impact of your cardiac disease on sexual activity."
c. "I have a few suggestions on lubricants that might make intercourse more com-fortable for you."
d. "Most older adults are not comfortable talking about sexuality, but it is important to do so."
e. "It is not unusual to have difficulty per-forming sexually as you age."

Answer 1

ANS: A, B, C
The PLISSIT model is a helpful guide for discussion of sexuality with older adults. The steps of the model are Permission: Obtain permission from the client to initiate sexual discussion, Limited Information: Provide the limited information to function sexually, Specific Suggestions: Offer suggestions for dealing with problems, Intensive Therapy: Refer as appropriate for complex problems that require specialist intervention. Option A falls into the permission step, option B falls into the limited information step, and option C falls into the specific suggestion step. Op-tions D and E do not fall into any of the steps of this model.