OBJECTIVE: The lesbian patient population is underserved. Almost no research has examined the knowledge and attitudes of obstetrician-gynecologists toward lesbian health. Our study sought to address this research gap. METHODS: All 910 obstetrician-gynecologists licensed in Ontario, Canada, were mailed a true-false survey about lesbian health issues, the Homosexuality Attitudes Scale (HAS), and a demographic survey. RESULTS: Of the 910 surveys, 271 were returned. The mean HAS score was 87.6 (standard deviation [SD] 11.5), indicating an overall positive attitude. The mean knowledge score was 76.0% (SD 9.5), indicating that respondents had adequate knowledge about lesbian health; 22% described their lesbian health knowledge-base as unaware. Most respondents reported lack of education on lesbian health in residency (81%) or medical school (78%). The majority reported a desire for formal education pertaining to lesbian health. There was no correlation between HAS and knowledge scores. CONCLUSIONS: Although our results indicate overall adequate knowledge about lesbian health issues, important knowledge gaps were identified. Medical school and residency training curricula should include formal education about lesbian health issues, particularly because most obstetrician-gynecologists report a desire to receive this information.
OBJECTIVE: The lesbian patient population is underserved. Almost no research has examined the knowledge and attitudes of obstetrician-gynecologists toward lesbian health. Our study sought to address this research gap. METHODS: All 910 obstetrician-gynecologists licensed in Ontario, Canada, were mailed a true-false survey about lesbian health issues, the Homosexuality Attitudes Scale (HAS), and a demographic survey. RESULTS: Of the 910 surveys, 271 were returned. The mean HAS score was 87.6 (standard deviation [SD] 11.5), indicating an overall positive attitude. The mean knowledge score was 76.0% (SD 9.5), indicating that respondents had adequate knowledge about lesbian health; 22% described their lesbian health knowledge-base as unaware. Most respondents reported lack of education on lesbian health in residency (81%) or medical school (78%). The majority reported a desire for formal education pertaining to lesbian health. There was no correlation between HAS and knowledge scores. CONCLUSIONS: Although our results indicate overall adequate knowledge about lesbian health issues, important knowledge gaps were identified. Medical school and residency training curricula should include formal education about lesbian health issues, particularly because most obstetrician-gynecologists report a desire to receive this information.
Authors: Gina Shetty; Julian A Sanchez; Johnathan M Lancaster; Lauren E Wilson; Gwendolyn P Quinn; Matthew B Schabath Journal: Patient Educ Couns Date: 2016-05-02
Authors: Heather L McCauley; Jay G Silverman; Michele R Decker; Madina Agénor; Sonya Borrero; Daniel J Tancredi; Sarah Zelazny; Elizabeth Miller Journal: J Womens Health (Larchmt) Date: 2015-05-11 Impact factor: 2.681
Authors: Matthew B Schabath; Catherine A Blackburn; Megan E Sutter; Peter A Kanetsky; Susan T Vadaparampil; Vani N Simmons; Julian A Sanchez; Steven K Sutton; Gwendolyn P Quinn Journal: J Clin Oncol Date: 2019-01-16 Impact factor: 44.544
Authors: Brittany M Charlton; Bethany G Everett; Alexis Light; Rachel K Jones; Elizabeth Janiak; Audrey J Gaskins; Jorge E Chavarro; Heidi Moseson; Vishnudas Sarda; S Bryn Austin Journal: Womens Health Issues Date: 2019-12-04