Mary E Pennant, Sue E Bayliss, Catherine A Meads
There is evidence that lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals have poorer experiences of healthcare compared with the general population, but the causes are not entirely clear. A systematic review of the qualitative literature was conducted to examine LGB patients’ experiences of healthcare provision in the UK. Medline, Medline In-Process, EMBASE, CENTRAL, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases were searched for qualitative studies published between January 2000 and May 2008 that contained experiences of general healthcare from the point of view of LGB patients or their practitioners. From a total of 1889 citations, ten qualitative studies were included in the final systematic review. The studies highlighted important issues for improving patient–practitioner relationships. Institutional- level changes, articularly improvement of protocols, confidentiality, LGB-friendly resources and GP training were also identified as important for improving health service provision. Despite being limited by the size of the available literature, this review is likely to highlight many important issues in LGB healthcare in the UK, and to suggest direction for change. The findings are likely to be applicable to healthcare settings in other countries, where similar relational and institutional barriers may prevail.
