How Doctors' Beliefs Influence Gynecological Health Care for Women Who Have Sex with Other Women
| Autor: | Marie Jeanne Martin, Pauline Ottavioli, Nassir Messaadi, Marc Bayen, Olivier Cottencin, Sabine Bayen |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Male
medicine.medical_specialty Attitude of Health Personnel Sexual Behavior Sexually Transmitted Diseases Primary care Physicians Primary Care Surveys and Questionnaires Health care medicine Humans Health needs business.industry Homosexuality Female General Medicine Health equity Clinical Practice Cross-Sectional Studies Sexual Partners Gynecology Family medicine Heterosexuality Sexual orientation Bisexuality Female Observational study France business |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Women's Health. 29:406-411 |
| ISSN: | 1931-843X 1540-9996 |
| DOI: | 10.1089/jwh.2019.7926 |
| Popis: | Background: Women who occasionally or regularly have sex with other women (WSW) are rarely identified in primary care. Although we know about their specific health needs, health care professionals still find it difficult to ask questions about sexual orientation (SO) and behaviors, and sometimes, patients may find them difficult to answer. The presumption of heterosexuality still remains a widespread attitude in health care. This study took place in a primary care setting, and aimed to identify differences in gynecological health care and clinical practice for women, according to what their presumed SO and behaviors were. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional observational, descriptive, and comparative study from October 2018 to February 2019. Three hundred thirty-eight general practitioners (GPs) from Rhone-Alpes area (France) received an anonymous questionnaire with clinical case vignettes. The main outcome was the percentage of GPs who perform a different gynecological follow-up for WSW and non-WSW. Results: In total, 165 questionnaires were analyzed. Ninety percent of respondents performed a different gynecological follow-up for WSW, compared with other women. They less often addressed topics such as contraception needs, use of barrier protections, and screening of sexually transmitted infections. Ninety-two percent of respondents were aware that they have WSW among their patients, but 2/3 of them never or rarely asked about SO. Conclusion: Most GPs know that they manage WSW but may misidentify these patients and their real care needs. Therefore, WSW receive a different and poorer follow-up than non-WSW. Clinical guidelines would be useful to improve and standardize quality and experience of health care for WSW. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|