Developing a Deeper Understanding
Sexuality
Just as healthcare providers typically encounter heterosexuals on a daily basis, it is believed that one in every ten persons is homosexual or bisexual (Andrews, JD. 1999). In every ethnic group, people interpret their sexual identity to correspond with their sexual attractions and behaviors.
A person's sexual identity may incorporate many different behaviors, and not just those stereotyped by a label. This is a particularly important perspective for healthcare providers to keep in mind when questioning and gathering information for personal history assessments. A sensitive issue - Sexuality is a personal and private issue, and although this information is imperative in order to complete a comprehensive assessment of a person's health status, healthcare providers should be reminded to maintain confidentiality in medical records. This includes communication with the patient as to whether documentation of sexual identity can be placed in the patient's chart. It may be useful to develop symbols or phrases in order to remind yourself of the patient's preference for confidentiality (Andrews, JD. 1999).
Health risk factors - Although there are NO known illnesses/problems exclusively found among homosexual men, homosexual women, and bisexuals, many healthcare providers are not aware of many issues that may influence their patient's decisions or reasons for seeking medical care. Due to past experience or hearsay of anti-homosexual/anti-bisexual encounters, many patients seeking to conceal sexual identity may hesitate to report medical incidences that may elicit insensitive responses to their sexuality. Here are some issues to consider:
If a patient decreased their gynecological exams it may lead to increased risk of breast and endometrial cancer.
Some mental health problems that homosexual may suffer from are: depression, suicide, alcoholism (The New Our Bodies Our Selves, 1992).
Homosexuals face many social and political issues such as rape among homosexual men and bisexual men especially. Also, sexually transmitted diseases are of high concern within the gay community.
Developing a Deeper Understanding
