Barriers and facilitators in access to reproductive health services for sexual and gender minority populations in the United States: A focus group study.
AI interpretation is pending for this paper.
Open original publication →What the AI sees
Not AI summarized yet.
Research significance
Pending deeper interpretation.
Source abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify facilitators and barriers among sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals in receiving reproductive healthcare. METHODS: Participants were recruited through social media and university groups across the US. Inclusion criteria consisted of self-identified SGM community members; aged 18-40. This included: cisgender women whose sexual orientation included gay, lesbian, bisexual, and/or queer and / or individuals whose gender identity does not align with their sex assigned at birth; transgender men, non-binary people with a uterus, cisgender queen woman, and transgender woman. An initial codebook was developed utilizing inductive coding to identify key themes. RESULTS: A total of 9 focus groups were held with 67 people,5-10 people per group. Six themes were identified: 1) Barriers to high quality reproductive care, 2) Facilitators to high quality reproductive care, 3) Negative prior experiences, 4) Physical/logistical access to adequate care, 5) Emotions/trust in disclosing SGM status, and 6) Knowledge levels on SGM reproductive healthcare. CONCLUSION: Quality reproductive health care for SGM individuals is hindered by individual, clinician, and institutional factors. The factors include individual barriers of knowledge, distrust, and dysphoria; clinician barriers knowledge gaps or discomfort; and institutional factors of false advertising of LGBTQ+ friendly practices. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This study impacts clinical practice through providing focused areas to better improve training and education for healthcare providers. Findings support improving clinical training on cultural humility, creating a welcoming environment, maintaining trust, and utilizing sensitive terminology.