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NEW STUDY LOOKING AT LESBIAN WOMEN’S EXPERIENCE OF HEALTHCARE
Posted by Charlotte on December 5, 2009
The Scandanavian Journal of Primary Health care has released a new report looking at the importance of healthcare professionals’ awareness, attitudes and medical knowledge when treating lesbian patients
The study was based on the experiences of 128 Norwegian lesbian women and highlighted positive and negative outcomes of their journey through the Scandnavian health care system.
“Lesbian women – as a group – may suffer from certain health complaints in a different way than do exclusively heterosexual women or the general female population, probably due to the effects of marginalisation,” explains Mari Bjorkman, MD, general practitioner. “Examples are mental problems such as anxiety disorders and depression.”
Amongst some of the more depressing conclusions of health professionals care levels for lesbians
- one doctor wrongly informed the lesbian patient that screening for cervical cancer was not necessary for lesbians
- one doctor was not aware STDs could be passed between lesbian partners
- one group of patients had been told lesbian orientation was merely a phase when young and that they would eventually become heterosexual
We conclude -
“It is good practice to use gender-neutral language and meet new patients with an open mind towards the question of sexual orientation. Medical knowledge about lesbian women should include gynaecological and sexual health issues, but – above all – the effects of marginalisation on health, well-being and identity,” Bjorkman adds.
“Norway is historically more liberal than many other countries and it is likely that lesbian women’s experiences in other western countries around the world would be on a par – or even slightly more negative – than those of the women questioned in our study,” concludes Bjorkman.
Looking at how patients navigate the primary health system seems really important to me because we’re operating on a system that was originally built for white men, and women in hetero relationships. The considerations and understanding of differing health needs of lesbian/gay/trans people doesn’t just mean treatment, but relationships, gender neutral language, and erasing stereotypes and the expectations of beliefs they lead to.