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Does one have to be queer to care for queer patients? A qualitative interview study with general practitioners in
Malte Radde1, Philip Oeser1, Anna Sophia Wittenstein1
1Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Background:
LGBT* (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, others) individuals are known to experience poorer health and restricted access to healthcare compared to cisgender-heterosexual individuals.
Objective:
As General Practitioners (GPs) are a patient's first point of contact with the healthcare system in Germany, this study examines GPs' perspectives on LGBT healthcare.
Methods:
In this qualitative study, we conducted 19 semi-structured episodic interviews with GPs in urban and rural areas of Germany. The interviews were analysed using framework analysis.
Results:
Our study shows LGBT* doctors feel more responsible for LGBT* healthcare than their cis-heterosexual colleagues. There is a perceived lack of knowledge and learning opportunities on LGBT* health needs for most interviewees. Cis-heterosexual GPs often feel unprepared to provide specific healthcare interventions to LGBT* patients and believe they lack the resources to improve their education on the topic. LGBT*-specific primary healthcare seems to be delivered by a small number of GP practices and primarily by LGBT* doctors. These LGBT* doctors recommend more widespread knowledge of LGBT* primary care and lives, to allow their colleagues to provide better care for these patients.
Conclusion:
There is a lack of knowledge on LGBT health needs and challenges among GPs in Germany, which needs to be addressed through structured training in medical school, and on a postgraduate level. This lack of knowledge leads to cis-heterosexual GPs feeling more insecure in providing care to LGBT* patients and LGBT* GPs providing a bigger share of LGBT* healthcare than their cis-heterosexual colleagues.
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