OBJECTIVETo investigate whether training in the department of urology will help interns acquire more knowledge on male reproductive health in such aspects as male erectile dysfunction (ED), premature ejaculation, male infertility (PE), male contraception, and so on.

METHODSSixty interns receiving rotatory training in the Department of Urology of the Peking University Third Hospital were recruited to complete a questionnaire designed by ourselves. A comparison was made of their knowledge on male reproductive health before and after their training in the department by using the chi-square statistical test in SPSS 11.0 software.

RESULTSWith regard to ED in such questions as "Do you regard ED as a disease affecting the aging male?" and "Do you regard ED as a local symptom of some male systemic disease?", all the interns knew significantly better after trained in the department of urology. Concerning the definition of ED and the effect of sildenafil citrate on ED, no significant difference was found in their knowledge between pre-training and post-training. As to patients' questions about ED, most of them showed interest but rarely made any initiative inquiries, which was not significantly changed after the training. Regarding PE, most of them knew very little even after trained, but they all thought of it as a disease affecting life quality. As regards male infertility, although some knew something about its definition and the normal parameters of semen routine analyses, others remained quite ignorant. As for male contraception, most of them knew little even after trained in the department.

CONCLUSIONInterns generally acquire more knowledge on male reproductive health after trained in the department of urology. However, in regard to male infertility and male contraception, their knowledge is quite insufficient, which implies the need for strengthening the training in the related aspects.