Sexual orientation disclosure in health care: a systematic review

Significant health disparities between sexual minority individuals (that is, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender [LGBT]) and heterosexual individuals have been demonstrated. To understand the barriers and facilitators to sexual orientation (SO) disclosure experienced by LGBT adults in healthcare...

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Veröffentlicht in:British journal of general practice Jg. 68; H. 668; S. e187
Hauptverfasser: Brooks, Hannah, Llewellyn, Carrie D, Nadarzynski, Tom, Pelloso, Fernando Castilho, De Souza Guilherme, Felipe, Pollard, Alex, Jones, Christina J
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: England 01.03.2018
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ISSN:1478-5242, 1478-5242
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Abstract Significant health disparities between sexual minority individuals (that is, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender [LGBT]) and heterosexual individuals have been demonstrated. To understand the barriers and facilitators to sexual orientation (SO) disclosure experienced by LGBT adults in healthcare settings. Mixed methods systematic review, including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods papers following PRISMA guidelines. Study quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) and a qualitative synthesis was performed. Studies were included if their participants were aged ≥18 years who either identified as LGBT, had a same-sex sexual relationship, or were attracted to a member of the same sex. The review included 31 studies representing 2442 participants. Four overarching themes were identified as barriers or facilitators to SO disclosure: the moment of disclosure, the expected outcome of disclosure, the healthcare professional, and the environment or setting of disclosure. The most prominent themes were the perceived relevance of SO to care, the communication skills and language used by healthcare professionals, and the fear of poor treatment or reaction to disclosure. The facilitators and barriers to SO disclosure by LGBT individuals are widespread but most were modifiable and could therefore be targeted to improve healthcare professionals' awareness of their patients' SO. Healthcare professionals should be aware of the broad range of factors that influence SO disclosure and the potential disadvantageous effects of non-disclosure on care. The environment in which patients are seen should be welcoming of different SOs as well as ensuring that healthcare professionals' communication skills, both verbal and non-verbal, are accepting and inclusive.
AbstractList Significant health disparities between sexual minority individuals (that is, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender [LGBT]) and heterosexual individuals have been demonstrated. To understand the barriers and facilitators to sexual orientation (SO) disclosure experienced by LGBT adults in healthcare settings. Mixed methods systematic review, including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods papers following PRISMA guidelines. Study quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) and a qualitative synthesis was performed. Studies were included if their participants were aged ≥18 years who either identified as LGBT, had a same-sex sexual relationship, or were attracted to a member of the same sex. The review included 31 studies representing 2442 participants. Four overarching themes were identified as barriers or facilitators to SO disclosure: the moment of disclosure, the expected outcome of disclosure, the healthcare professional, and the environment or setting of disclosure. The most prominent themes were the perceived relevance of SO to care, the communication skills and language used by healthcare professionals, and the fear of poor treatment or reaction to disclosure. The facilitators and barriers to SO disclosure by LGBT individuals are widespread but most were modifiable and could therefore be targeted to improve healthcare professionals' awareness of their patients' SO. Healthcare professionals should be aware of the broad range of factors that influence SO disclosure and the potential disadvantageous effects of non-disclosure on care. The environment in which patients are seen should be welcoming of different SOs as well as ensuring that healthcare professionals' communication skills, both verbal and non-verbal, are accepting and inclusive.
Significant health disparities between sexual minority individuals (that is, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender [LGBT]) and heterosexual individuals have been demonstrated.BACKGROUNDSignificant health disparities between sexual minority individuals (that is, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender [LGBT]) and heterosexual individuals have been demonstrated.To understand the barriers and facilitators to sexual orientation (SO) disclosure experienced by LGBT adults in healthcare settings.AIMTo understand the barriers and facilitators to sexual orientation (SO) disclosure experienced by LGBT adults in healthcare settings.Mixed methods systematic review, including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods papers following PRISMA guidelines.DESIGN AND SETTINGMixed methods systematic review, including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods papers following PRISMA guidelines.Study quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) and a qualitative synthesis was performed. Studies were included if their participants were aged ≥18 years who either identified as LGBT, had a same-sex sexual relationship, or were attracted to a member of the same sex.METHODStudy quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) and a qualitative synthesis was performed. Studies were included if their participants were aged ≥18 years who either identified as LGBT, had a same-sex sexual relationship, or were attracted to a member of the same sex.The review included 31 studies representing 2442 participants. Four overarching themes were identified as barriers or facilitators to SO disclosure: the moment of disclosure, the expected outcome of disclosure, the healthcare professional, and the environment or setting of disclosure. The most prominent themes were the perceived relevance of SO to care, the communication skills and language used by healthcare professionals, and the fear of poor treatment or reaction to disclosure.RESULTSThe review included 31 studies representing 2442 participants. Four overarching themes were identified as barriers or facilitators to SO disclosure: the moment of disclosure, the expected outcome of disclosure, the healthcare professional, and the environment or setting of disclosure. The most prominent themes were the perceived relevance of SO to care, the communication skills and language used by healthcare professionals, and the fear of poor treatment or reaction to disclosure.The facilitators and barriers to SO disclosure by LGBT individuals are widespread but most were modifiable and could therefore be targeted to improve healthcare professionals' awareness of their patients' SO. Healthcare professionals should be aware of the broad range of factors that influence SO disclosure and the potential disadvantageous effects of non-disclosure on care. The environment in which patients are seen should be welcoming of different SOs as well as ensuring that healthcare professionals' communication skills, both verbal and non-verbal, are accepting and inclusive.CONCLUSIONThe facilitators and barriers to SO disclosure by LGBT individuals are widespread but most were modifiable and could therefore be targeted to improve healthcare professionals' awareness of their patients' SO. Healthcare professionals should be aware of the broad range of factors that influence SO disclosure and the potential disadvantageous effects of non-disclosure on care. The environment in which patients are seen should be welcoming of different SOs as well as ensuring that healthcare professionals' communication skills, both verbal and non-verbal, are accepting and inclusive.
Author De Souza Guilherme, Felipe
Nadarzynski, Tom
Brooks, Hannah
Jones, Christina J
Pelloso, Fernando Castilho
Llewellyn, Carrie D
Pollard, Alex
Author_xml – sequence: 1
  givenname: Hannah
  surname: Brooks
  fullname: Brooks, Hannah
  organization: Department of Primary Care and Public Health
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  givenname: Carrie D
  surname: Llewellyn
  fullname: Llewellyn, Carrie D
  organization: Department of Primary Care and Public Health
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  givenname: Tom
  surname: Nadarzynski
  fullname: Nadarzynski, Tom
  organization: Department of Psychology, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
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  givenname: Fernando Castilho
  surname: Pelloso
  fullname: Pelloso, Fernando Castilho
  organization: Curso de Medicina da Universidade Federal do Parana, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
– sequence: 5
  givenname: Felipe
  surname: De Souza Guilherme
  fullname: De Souza Guilherme, Felipe
  organization: Curso de Medicina da Universidade Federal do Parana, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
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  givenname: Alex
  surname: Pollard
  fullname: Pollard, Alex
  organization: Department of Primary Care and Public Health
– sequence: 7
  givenname: Christina J
  surname: Jones
  fullname: Jones, Christina J
  organization: Department of Clinical Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
BackLink https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29378698$$D View this record in MEDLINE/PubMed
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Title Sexual orientation disclosure in health care: a systematic review
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