Development of an educational guide for postpartum sexual health promotion: The Delphi method

Background: The Promotion of sexual health has been emphasized in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As a primary prevention strategy, the promotion of sexual knowledge can reduce the incidence of postnatal sexual disorders. This study aimed to develop an educational guide for postpartum sexual health promotion.

Materials and methods: This qualitative study was conducted in 2021 in Tehran. The steps of developing the educational guide were based on the model of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). First, the related guidelines, books, booklets, and original articles were comprehensively reviewed. Based on the scientific evidence, the educational content was compiled. Then, the quality of this content was evaluated using the Delphi method; It was performed using expert opinions with the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) tool.

Results: The educational content was developed in three chapters as follows: basic sexual education, postpartum changes and prevalent sexual problems of this period, and strategies for solving or adapting to postpartum sexual problems. This guide was developed in two separate sections for healthcare providers and mothers. The content was of excellent quality in all 6 domains of the AGREE tool (>90%); and evaluated to be optimal in terms of scientificity, significance, and feasibility with the consensus of experts (>95%).

Conclusions: In this research, the steps of developing a comprehensive evidence-based educational guide for sexual health services in postpartum care were described, and its content was presented. The validity of the compiled content was also confirmed.