“Render a service worthy of me”: A qualitative study of factors influencing access to LGBTQ-specific health services
For a half-century, LGBTQ-specific health services have sought to address the unmet health care needs of LGBTQ people in the U.S. However, there is a dearth of research examining factors that influence LGBTQ care-seekers’ reasons for choosing LGBTQ-specific services and their experiences accessing c...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2021-12-01
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| Series: | SSM: Qualitative Research in Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667321521000196 |
| _version_ | 1819094283450318848 |
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| author | Sara Matsuzaka Meghan Romanelli Kimberly D. Hudson |
| author_facet | Sara Matsuzaka Meghan Romanelli Kimberly D. Hudson |
| author_sort | Sara Matsuzaka |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | For a half-century, LGBTQ-specific health services have sought to address the unmet health care needs of LGBTQ people in the U.S. However, there is a dearth of research examining factors that influence LGBTQ care-seekers’ reasons for choosing LGBTQ-specific services and their experiences accessing care. This interview-based study explored factors that facilitate and inhibit access to LGBTQ-specific health services among a sample of 40 LGBTQ adults in a major U.S. city. Using framework analysis, emergent themes were organized into supply- and demand-side factors, guided by Levesque et al.’s (2013) framework for patient-centered health care access. Supply-side factors included provider empathy and affirmation, provider knowledge, comprehensive care, and provider-based stigma. Demand-side factors included care-seeker's willingness for self-disclosure, care-seeker beliefs placing primacy on health needs over LGBTQ identities, contentment with general providers, a lack of knowledge for service identification, and perceptions of ability to pay. Social aspects of care seeking were also identified, including desires for social belonging, collective self-esteem, and community solidarity. Findings suggest opportunities to enhance the fit between health care policy, LGBTQ-specific provider characteristics, and care-seeker needs, particularly for multiply-marginalized LGBTQ communities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T23:24:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d8c88cecdd784480bad67f600b528c7e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2667-3215 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T23:24:57Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SSM: Qualitative Research in Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-d8c88cecdd784480bad67f600b528c7e2022-12-21T18:46:39ZengElsevierSSM: Qualitative Research in Health2667-32152021-12-011100019“Render a service worthy of me”: A qualitative study of factors influencing access to LGBTQ-specific health servicesSara Matsuzaka0Meghan Romanelli1Kimberly D. Hudson2University of Virginia, Department of Psychology, 485 McCormick Road, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, USAUniversity of Washington, School of Social Work, 4101 15th Ave NE, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA; Corresponding author.Fordham University, Graduate School of Social Service, 113 West 60thStreet, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10023, USAFor a half-century, LGBTQ-specific health services have sought to address the unmet health care needs of LGBTQ people in the U.S. However, there is a dearth of research examining factors that influence LGBTQ care-seekers’ reasons for choosing LGBTQ-specific services and their experiences accessing care. This interview-based study explored factors that facilitate and inhibit access to LGBTQ-specific health services among a sample of 40 LGBTQ adults in a major U.S. city. Using framework analysis, emergent themes were organized into supply- and demand-side factors, guided by Levesque et al.’s (2013) framework for patient-centered health care access. Supply-side factors included provider empathy and affirmation, provider knowledge, comprehensive care, and provider-based stigma. Demand-side factors included care-seeker's willingness for self-disclosure, care-seeker beliefs placing primacy on health needs over LGBTQ identities, contentment with general providers, a lack of knowledge for service identification, and perceptions of ability to pay. Social aspects of care seeking were also identified, including desires for social belonging, collective self-esteem, and community solidarity. Findings suggest opportunities to enhance the fit between health care policy, LGBTQ-specific provider characteristics, and care-seeker needs, particularly for multiply-marginalized LGBTQ communities.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667321521000196Community healthLesbianGayBisexualTransgenderHealth care access |
| spellingShingle | Sara Matsuzaka Meghan Romanelli Kimberly D. Hudson “Render a service worthy of me”: A qualitative study of factors influencing access to LGBTQ-specific health services SSM: Qualitative Research in Health Community health Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Health care access |
| title | “Render a service worthy of me”: A qualitative study of factors influencing access to LGBTQ-specific health services |
| title_full | “Render a service worthy of me”: A qualitative study of factors influencing access to LGBTQ-specific health services |
| title_fullStr | “Render a service worthy of me”: A qualitative study of factors influencing access to LGBTQ-specific health services |
| title_full_unstemmed | “Render a service worthy of me”: A qualitative study of factors influencing access to LGBTQ-specific health services |
| title_short | “Render a service worthy of me”: A qualitative study of factors influencing access to LGBTQ-specific health services |
| title_sort | render a service worthy of me a qualitative study of factors influencing access to lgbtq specific health services |
| topic | Community health Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Health care access |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667321521000196 |
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