Interactions between health professionals and lesbian, gay and bisexual patients in healthcare settings: A systematic review

Sarah G. McNeill*, John McAteer, Ruth Jepson

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The ways in which health professionals (HPs) interact with individuals from sexual minorities can impact their perception of the health service and influence engagement. This systematic literature review aimed to identify and synthesize the qualitative literature exploring interactions between HPs and lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) patients in healthcare settings. A search strategy was developed and applied to CINAHL and Medline, inclusion criteria were then applied to results by two screeners with good agreement. Thematic analysis was carried out on papers meeting the inclusion criteria in three stages, beginning with coding the text line-by-line, developing descriptive themes and finally, analytical themes. Electronic searches identified 348 papers with 20 of these meeting the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis found five themes; HPs’ lack of knowledge regarding LGB specific issues, identification of sexual orientation, discomfort in interactions, LGB patients’ experience of heteronormative attitudes and perceived judgment or other negative attitudes.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Homosexuality
Early online date22 Jul 2021
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 22 Jul 2021

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • experiences
  • health
  • health professionals
  • healthcare
  • interactions
  • LGB
  • sexual orientation

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