Table 3.

Provider Interview Data (N=8)

Theme	Subcategory / Quote
Including partners is important (N=6)	“It’s very important. [Partners] are going to have insights and … they’re going to be a necessary partner in all of this… it’s seriously important” “It’s knowledge and understanding, and giving ideas of things that can be done. It just doesn’t have to be an accepted side effect. I think we as providers have to validate that sexual health is important to your relationship and it’s important to individuals. It not only affects the patient in front of us, but it does affect their partners.”
Patient’s choice to include partners (N=6)	“It’s ultimately up to the patient. You need to know how much involvement do they want the partner to have, depending on what the issue is. If the patient thinks it’s appropriate, they’ve brought their partner to their appointment - I think it’s implied if [the patient has] brought their partner with them and [the patient] bring this up.” “It depends on the patient… Certainly I think, as providers, we need to at least extend that offer. ‘Do you want us to talk to your partner? Do you want your partner to be here when we’re having this conversation?’“
Barrier to including partners in conversations (N=6)	Some patients do not want partner included (n=4) “Certainly we have patients who don’t want their significant other there. It’s unusual, but it’s definitely a possibility.” “Sometimes [patients] want to involve their partners, other times I’ve been asked to talk to the patient after the partner’s left, because they’re not comfortable with that whole context of the conversation.”
	Partners not at appointments (n=3) “Do I include [partners]? Hardly at all - it’s very frequent that the partners are not brought to the visits or are not available.” “A lot of times partners don’t come to appointments, and I have never offered to call a partner to intervene or get their take on it.”
	Attention on the individual patient (n=2) “Having partners more engaged … in some ways might also be a barrier because it takes from me talking about a patient to them… it’s like ‘well, it’s not about you for a moment, it’s about this person.’ … that feels like way more than I can fit in any given visit. … I think it’s helpful, it just changes the dynamic.” “[Sexual side effects] not only affect the patient in front of us, but it does affect their partners. Not sure we’re always good about that, I tend to focus on my patient.”

Note: N / n = number of providers with a theme / subcategory represented in their interview. Each example quote within a cell is from a separate provider.