. 2023 Dec 7;23:926. doi: 10.1186/s12909-023-04901-1

Table 1.

Study characteristics

Authors (Country)	Aim	Target Population (Sample, N)	Study design/Quality assessment	Intervention type: Lecture/group discussion/simulation/observation/online modules
Cushing A, England, [55]	To evaluate the impact of an intensive short workshop on attitude, intention, and behavior relating SH communication	N = 219, fourth-year medical students	Pre-post intervention with one year of the cohort EPHPP^a—2	The half-day workshop with interactive methods included a brief introductory lecture, small group discussion, role-play on four scenarios, and received feedback
Athanasiadis L, Greece, [57]	To test the effectiveness of an ED management workshop	n = 100(pilot study) N = 600 (n = 50/workshop, 12 workshops in total) Health professionals from five medical specialties	Pre-post evaluation EPHPP^a—3	The 7-h workshop included four parts: Part one: online module Part two: small group workshop Part three: two presentations Part four: large group workshop
Gianotenn WL, Netherlands [56],	To evaluate the multidisciplinary rehabilitation team workshops (discipline-specific and team-specific training) for improving knowledge and communication skills	N = 302 rehabilitation professional staff	Pre-post evaluation with four months follow-up EPHPP^a—3	Six sessions of three hours, with three weeks intervals. Various didactic methods were used, including lectures, discussions, role-playing sessions, simulation of cases, and simulation of team meetings. Homework and practice were included
Rosen R, USA, [25]	To evaluate the effectiveness of the intensive workshop on residents’ communication skills and management of sexual problems (Pilot study)	N = 34, residents from different disciplines	Pre-post evaluation, with six month’s follow-up EPHPP^a—3	A half-day intensive workshop with interactive content
Loeb DF, USA, [26]	To evaluate the impact of the intervention on clinical practice	N = 25, medical residents	Pre-post intervention EPHPP^a—3	Three-week intervention, consisted of didactic lecture and role-play scenario
Zabar S, USA [27],	To evaluate the impact of the intervention on communication skills, screening practice, and patient satisfaction	N = 21 health professionals from different disciplines	Pre-post intervention EPHPP^a—3	Five 2-h workshops with 2–6-week intervals Interactive teaching methods included lectures, discussions, video demonstrations, and simulations
Wiskin C, UK, [53]	To evaluate the impact of the intervention on students’ attitudes toward STI patients	N = 299, second-year medical students	RCT EPHPP^a—2	Rope-play activity and written vignette
Kennedy KM, Ireland, [58]	To evaluate the effectiveness of educational strategies addressing sexual violence	N = 105, third-year medical students	Pre-post test online evaluation EPHPP^a—3	2-h interactive lecture
Sung SC, Taiwan, [44]	To evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention on students’ knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy related to sexual health care	N = 190, senior nursing students	Quasi-experimental with intervention and control group Pre-post evaluation with 5-week follow-up EPHPP^a—2	12-week educational program with interactive methods, including lectures, teacher instruction, group discussion, role-play exercises, case analysis, value clarification, brainstorming, modeling, testing, visual media, pictures, reflection report
Kim JH, Korea [52],	To evaluate the effectiveness of the online intervention on sexual health competencies	N = 32 registered nurses	RCT with intervention and control group Post-test: 3 months after the intervention EPHPP^a—3	The 8-week e-PBL methods consist of eight tutorials (2 h. each) with online discussion
Wang LY, USA, [28]	To evaluate the effectiveness of short sexual health training on the comfort level in female cancer	N = 110 health professionals from different disciplines	Pre-post test, with 3,6 months follow-up EPHPP^a—3	Short training (30–45 min) included deductive methods of educating and communication skills training
Kim M, Korea, [45]	To evaluate the effectiveness of S-PBL on nursing students’ sexual knowledge. attitudes and gender role perception	N = 47 nursing students	Pre-post test EPHPP^a—3	6 h. training program for all students S-PBL (4 h.) session only for the experimental group Different learning methods were used: didactic lectures, case study analysis, group discussion, a debriefing session
McBain L, New Zealand, [54]	To evaluate the effect of a simulation training program on performing clinical skills	N = 84 five-year medical students	A quasi-experimental, pre-post, and focus group evaluation (1-year cohort) EPHPP^a—3	Online learning Practical session (4 h.)
Neff A, USA, [29]	To evaluate the effect of PBL⁴ on knowledge, attitude, and skills to care for LGBTQ, gender–nonconforming, and DSD community	N = 155 The first-year medical students	Pre-post test EPHPP^a—3	One lecture and patient panel
Cooper MB, USA, [30]	To evaluate the effectiveness of LGBTQ training on students’ knowledge	N = 63 third-year medical students	Pre-post test EPHPP^a—3	1 h. didactic lecture
Cummins AM, Australia, [46]	To evaluate the effectiveness of two workshops on improving personal and professional attitudes on sensitive topics	N = 53 first-year midwifery students	Pre-post survey test EPHPP^a—3	Two interactive workshops First, at the beginning of the semester (before the clinical experience) Second, after the clinical settings
Micheal S, Australia, [59]	To evaluate the effectiveness of sexual health training on knowledge and general perspective	N = 121 third-year medical students	Pre-post test EPHPP^a—3	2 h. session Flipped classroom method included: The online component (mini-lecture of 5–8 min before the session) Face-to-face session structure (5 topics)
Taylor LE, USA, [31]	To evaluate the Child Sexual Abuse Training Program on nursing students’ knowledge	N = 119 nursing students	Pre-post test EPHPP^a—3	2 h. workshop with interactive teaching methods
Ross MW, Tanzania, [47]	To access the sexual confidence change following the intervention	N = 78 nursing and midwifery students	Pre-post test EPHPP^a—3	2-day workshop on sexual health with the following interactive methods: Lectures, interactive sessions, dyads for sexual history-taking practice, small group discussion
Shroff S, USA, [32],	To evaluate the impact of the sexual history curriculum on students’ proficiency	N = 21 medical interns	Pre-post test EPHPP^a—3	4 h. curriculum on sexual history taking on STI counseling Interactive teaching methods were used
Stumbar SE, USA [33],	To evaluate the impact of the intervention on increasing knowledge of LGBTQ sexual health	N = 90, second-year medical students	Pre-post test EPHPP^a—3	2 h. intervention included a case-based lecture and patient panel
Frasca K, USA, [34]	To evaluate the impact of the intervention on HIV prevention knowledge	N = 34 internal medicine residents	Pre-post test EPHPP^a—3	Two 4-h. online sessions
Salkind J, UK, [60]	To evaluate the effectiveness of compulsory training on improving knowledge on LGBTQ sexual health	N = 433, fifth-year medical students	Pre-post test EPHPP^a—3	A half-day program included a lecture, patient panel, and clinal scenarios
Grova MM, USA, [35]	LGBTQ sexual health training	N = 27, general surgery residents	Pre – post-test, with 6 weeks of cohort EPHPP^a—3	2-h. training included didactic methods and case scenarios
Natan S, USA, [36]	Trauma – informed training course	N = 21 APN nursing students	Pre – post test EPHPP^a—3	2 – day course involved didactic methods and simulation
Ng AH, Hong- Kong, [48]	To evaluate the effectiveness of educational intervention in enhancing nursing students’ knowledge and attitudes regarding sexuality in older age	N = 222, first-year nursing students Intervention group = 169 Control group = 53	Pre-post test EPHPP^a—3	7-h educational program consisted of one 3–5 lecture and 2-h group seminal presentations and discussions
Unal Toprak F, Turkey, [49]	To evaluate the effect of sexual health courses on the level of sexual reproductive health knowledge and myths	N = 130 third-year nursing students	Pre-posttest control group quasi-experimental study, with 1-week follow-up EPHPP^a—3 (no sample size calculation)	Sexual health elective course, 14-week (42-h, curriculum) training program, 3 h. per week The course content was delivered in classroom format and consisted of the lecturer, student-prepared case studies, and video material
White BP, USA, [37]	To evaluate the effectiveness of comprehensive sexual health courses on improving knowledge, comfort, preparedness, and confidence level	N = 94, graduate nursing students	Pre – post test, with control group EPHPP^a—3	Teaching methods included didactic quest lectures, clinical role-playing scenarios, videos, case studies, online discussions, small group discussions, and reflection
Friedlander R, USA, [38]	Evaluation of reproductive and sexual health curriculum on improving attitudes, comfort, and knowledge	N = 12 (classroom format) N = 23 (online format), medical physician assistant students	Pre- post test EPHPP^a—3	The workshop consisted of five- sessions delivered twice: classroom and online setting
Mahabamunuge J, USA, [39]	To access the impact of a student-led lecture series on medical students’ comfort levels when dealing with diverse sexual health content	The study participants were graduated medical students from two consecutive academic years N = 847 (2018—2019) N = 862 (20,191—2020)	Pre – post-test EPHPP^a—3	The seminar on “Gender and sexuality in medicine), consists of didactic lecture
Ojo A, USA, [40]	To evaluate a novel curriculum on students’ knowledge, comfort level, and skills about reproductive injustice	N = 68 senior medical students (third & fourth year)	Pre – post test EPHPP^a—3	The 2-h session was delivered as a part of the broader mandatory Essentials II Medicine course of 4 weeks The intervention included a prerecorded video, an article, and interactive cases
Ross MW, USA, [41]	To evaluate the impact of long-term sexual health education on knowledge, counseling skills, and attitude change	N = 74, first-year medical students	Pre-post test with 16 weeks of cohort EPHPP^a—3	The 1-semester course involved interactive teaching methods: didactic lectures, panels and tutorials, a video app with feedback, OSCE
Roth LT, USA, [42]	To evaluate the effectiveness of a long-term LGBTQ sexual health curriculum on changes in knowledge, comfort, and self-reported clinical impact	N = 70 medicine residents	Pre- post-test EPHPP^a—3	One-year curriculum with interactive teaching methods: didactic and case-based sessions
Sarpkaya Guder D, Cyprus, [50]	To evaluate the effectiveness of sexual health course on students’ level of beliefs on sexual myths	N = 191 third-year nursing students	Pre-post semi-experimental study EPHPP^a—3	Half of the course consists of face-to-face and online format
Bear MD, USA, [43]	To evaluate the effectiveness of a short online module lecture vs an in-class lecture on students’ attitudes and knowledge toward LGBTQ population	Year 1: N = 283 pharmacy students (online module) Year 2: N = 273 Pharmacy students (in-class module)	Pre- post-test EPHPP^a—3	Online module and in-class materials
Mert – Karadas M, Turkey, [51]	To evaluate the impact of a practical communication educational program on students’ knowledge, attitudes, and ability to promote sexual health assessment	N = 48, 4^th year nursing students	Quasi-experimental (single group pre-posttest) study EPHPP^a—3	The 8-week online educational program focused on the reproductive health of LGBTQ individuals and consisted of lectures, discussions, film display and analysis, sample video display and analyses, role-play activities, and standardized patient interviews

Acronym:^aEPHPP Effective Public Health Practice, Quality assessment tool for quantitative studies: (degree of Q/A: 1-strong, 2- moderate, 3 – weak). Sources are presented in the table by year of publication; SH Sexual health, ED² Erectile Dysfunction, STI Sexual Transmitted Infections, e-PBL Online Problem – Based Learning, S-PBL Simulation-based Problem Learning, LGBTQ Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, DSD Difference in Sex Development –affected, HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus, OSCE Objective Structured Clinical Exam