Physician Awareness of Sexual Orientation and Preventive Health Recommendations to Men Who Have Sex with Men

Because men who have sex with men have unique health needs and risks, providers who assume their patients are heterosexual may be offering suboptimal care to their MSM patients. The authors of the current study set out to describe primary care providers' knowledge of their patients' sexual orientation and the demographic and provider-related characteristics associated with this knowledge; and to determine whether PCP knowledge of patients' sexual orientation was associated with making appropriate recommendations for preventive and diagnostic care.

A cross-sectional survey was completed by 271 MSM. The researchers measured MSM's disclosure of their sexual orientation and demographic information, and they noted the PCPs' recommendations for preventive care.

Seventy-two percent of participants said their PCP knew their sexual orientation. Disclosure was more likely for MSM whose PCP was female, gay and/or younger. MSM who were black, from rural areas and earned less than $15,000 a year were less likely to have disclosed. PCPs who knew the sexual orientation of their MSM patients were more likely to recommend HIV testing (59 percent vs. 13 percent) and hepatitis A or B vaccination (32 percent vs. 16 percent). Inconsistencies were noted between participants' self-reports of risk behaviors and PCP recommendations.

"Disclosure of sexual orientation is associated with several patient-related and provider-related characteristics," the authors concluded. "Lack of disclosure to providers significantly decreased the likelihood that appropriate health services were recommended to participants. Efforts to promote discussion of sexual orientation within the primary health care setting should be directed toward both PCPs and MSM."

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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