The doctor/patient relationship is one of the most personal; it can be even more complicated for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community. There鈥檚 a fear that if doctors discover their orientation, they would be treated differently.
That was the finding of a . 55 percent of respondents were fearful of being treated differently should their sexuality be disclosed.
Dr. Mark Thrun, director of HIV/STD prevention and control at Denver Health and a , says that sets up a 鈥榙on鈥檛 ask don鈥檛 tell鈥� situation in the medical field.
鈥淲e in the LGBT community are afraid to share who we are with our medical provider for fear of a homophobic response,鈥� Thrun said. 鈥淧hysicians and clinicians are afraid to bring up sexual orientation or gender identity because they鈥檙e afraid they鈥檙e going to offend somebody.鈥�
When that happens, the conversation simply never occurs.
Following the previous study, that hopes to help Colorado physicians be more open to asking a simple question.
鈥楢re you LGBT?鈥�
鈥淧hysicians really have the upper hand and the power dynamic in the physicians/patient relationship in the office,鈥� Thrun said. 鈥淸They need to] ask. Who you are having sex with? Who is your partner? Who are you in a relationship with? Very simple questions, enormously important in building that relationship with their patient, but they鈥檙e just afraid to ask.鈥�
While the study finds three quarters of Colorado physicians believe awareness of a patient鈥檚 sexual orientation is important for a positive doctor-patient relationship, nearly 1-in-5 reports that they never ask the question.
鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a reason to do it at all levels. I think, one, you don鈥檛 get perfect the first time you try something, so it takes repetition,鈥� said Rita Lee, Associate Professor at the Colorado School of Medicine. 鈥淚 think, especially medical students are more at a time point where they鈥檙e a little bit more open to new ideas and they鈥檙e just learning how to practice.鈥�
The has created an interactive continuing medical education program to help medical schools and practicing doctors learn how to ask gender neutral and sexual identity questions.
鈥淧roviders like to have a certain amount of expertise and we don鈥檛 want to ask questions that we鈥檙e not comfortable asking, or if we don鈥檛 know what to do with that information afterward,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淎nd our goal in developing this CME is that we provide all of that basic information, so that they can ask the questions, the know what do with that information and they can provide safe, comprehensive, clinical care for their patients.鈥�
Dr. Mark Thun says simply making the waiting room or entry forms more LGBT friendly also goes a long way in improving the doctor/patient relationship.
鈥淛ust having an option to say that I鈥檓 in a domestic partnership, or that I have a significant other as opposed to just married, single, divorced. None of which necessarily applies to me,鈥� Thun said.
One Colorado says with the implementation of the , many LGBT Coloradans who have previously not had access to health care will now have the ability to go to a doctor and get medical care. The study, they say, is a way to get doctors thinking about how to fully assist the increase in LGBT patients and provide positive, helpful medical care.
