Lesbian and bisexual health care.
OBJECTIVE
To explore lesbian and bisexual women's experiences with their family physicians to learn about barriers to care and about how physicians can provide supportive care.


METHODS
Qualitative study that was part of a larger study of lesbian and bisexual women's health care.


METHODS
The province of Nova Scotia, both urban and rural counties.


METHODS
Ninety-eight self-identified lesbian or bisexual women who volunteered through snowball sampling. Women were interviewed by lesbian, bisexual, or heterosexual female interviewers.


METHODS
Semistructured, audiotaped, face-to-face interviews, exploring questions about demographic information, sexual orientation, general health care patterns, preferences for health care providers, disclosure issues, health care information, access issues, and important health care services. Transcription of audiotapes of interviews was followed by content, thematic, and discourse analyses. Thematic analysis is reported in this paper.


RESULTS
Three themes important for family physicians emerged: the importance of being gay positive, barriers to care, and strategies for providing appropriate care.


CONCLUSIONS
Family physicians are in a pivotal position to ensure supportive care for lesbian and bisexual women. Physicians need to recognize barriers to care and to use gay-positive strategies, paying attention to self-education, health history, and clinic environment.
Mount St Vincent University in Halifax. Cynthia.Mathieson@MSVU.CA
C M
CM
Mathieson
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D009674:Nova Scotia; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010821:Physicians, Family; D011287:Prejudice; D012649:Self Concept; D012650:Self Disclosure