Rural Primary Care Providers’ Experiences and Knowledge Regarding LGBTQ Health in a Midwestern State

Abstract

Results provide insight into rural health care for LGBTQ people. Preeminent findings were: (1) an existing need for LGBTQ health education, (2) variation in knowledge across content areas, and (3) association between knowledge, profession, and length of current county residence. Promotion of rural LGBTQ health may benefit by addressing identified gaps in current care.

Primary Care Clinician and Clinic Director Experiences of Professional Bias, Harassment, and Discrimination in an Underserved Agricultural Region of California

“…69,70 A recent study on internal medicine residents found no difference in SGM knowledge in urban areas with high SGM group prevalence vs other locations, 71 and a survey specifically of rural clinicians found large variation in clinician knowledge on SGM health. 72 Education is critical for reducing disparities but also requires a clinician population that is supportive of these initiatives, and our findings suggest the limits to this approach with a predominantly non-SGM clinician workforce.…”

“…In 2011, the Institute of Medicine called for greater understanding on health care inequities for SGM populations, and the American Medical Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges have called for increasing education on the health needs of SGM populations . A recent study on internal medicine residents found no difference in SGM knowledge in urban areas with high SGM group prevalence vs other locations, and a survey specifically of rural clinicians found large variation in clinician knowledge on SGM health . Education is critical for reducing disparities but also requires a clinician population that is supportive of these initiatives, and our findings suggest the limits to this approach with a predominantly non-SGM clinician workforce.…”

“Ditch the white coats”: What LGBTQ+ patients prefer in their primary care provider

“…This dearth of LGBTQ+ competent providers may be due to several factors. There is a lack of LGBTQ+ content in medical and nursing schools (Greene et al, 2018), lack of medical and nursing faculty who feel comfortable and prepared to teach this content (Aaberg, 2016; Gentile et al, 2020; Lim et al, 2015; Shaver et al, 2019), and poor-quality educational resources to teach about LGBTQ+ populations (de Guzman et al, 2018) .…”

Where is Rural? Examining the Effect of Rural Classification Method on Disparities in HIV and STI Testing Uptake Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in the United States

“…Provider knowledge of patient sexual identity is lower among MSM in rural areas, decreasing the likelihood that suitable preventive and diagnostic health services such as HIV testing are recommended [21]. Studies have found that although there has been an increase in LGBTQ health knowledge among physicians in recent years, there is still a lack of formal education to train providers to serve this population, with approximately 50% of rural providers reporting not receiving specific training about treating LGBTQ patients during their professional degree program [25]. Homophobia and stigmatization of MSM patients persists, particularly among healthcare workers in rural areas of the United States [26].…”