An Online Investigation Into Direct-to-Consumer Men's Health Clinics: The Who, What, and Where

To characterize direct-to-consumer (DTC) men's health clinics by reviewing their online content. Increasing numbers of patients are seeking treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED) and hypogonadism from DTC “men's health” clinics. Treatments are often used off-label, with lack of transparen...

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Veröffentlicht in:Urology (Ridgewood, N.J.) N.J.), 2023-04, Vol.174, p.135-140
Hauptverfasser: Dietrich, Peter N., Doolittle, Johnathan, Brink, Sarah, Hanna, Daniel, Fitzgerald, John, Dadhich, Pranav, Sandlow, Jay I., Kansal, Jagan, Bajic, Petar
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:To characterize direct-to-consumer (DTC) men's health clinics by reviewing their online content. Increasing numbers of patients are seeking treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED) and hypogonadism from DTC “men's health” clinics. Treatments are often used off-label, with lack of transparency of provider credentials and qualifications. We identified DTC Men's Health Clinics in the United States by internet search by state using the terms, “Men's Health Clinic,” and “Low T Center.” All stand-alone clinics were reviewed. Two hundred and twenty-three clinics were reviewed, with 147 (65.9%) offered ED treatments and 196 (87.9%) offering testosterone replacement, and 120 (53.8%) offering both ED treatment and testosterone replacement. Of those clinics offering ED treatments, 93 (63.3%) advertised shockwave therapy and 84 (57.1%) PRP therapy. There were 56 (38%) who offered shockwave therapy and PRP. ICI was significantly more likely to be offered if there was a urologist on staff (p
ISSN:0090-4295
1527-9995
DOI:10.1016/j.urology.2023.01.026