Abstract: PD45-12
Sources of Funding: A.S.H. is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) K12 Scholar supported by a Male Reproductive Health Research (MHRH) Career Development Physician-Scientist Award (HD073917-01) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Program (to Dolores J. Lamb).

Introduction

The National Institute of Health (NIH) has officially designated sexual and gender minorities as health care disparity research populations. The Institute of Medicine Report and Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2020 Initiative have called for steps to address these health care disparities. We sought to characterize the practice patterns of sexual health specialists as they relate to Men who have Sex with Men (MSM).

Methods

In order to assess the attitudes of sexual health practitioners, a survey study was sent to 696 members of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA). Surveys were electronically mailed to members to determine the practitioners&[prime] demographics, their assessment of their patients&[prime] sexual orientation, and adaptation of care to address the specific needs of their MSM patients. Responses were compared using descriptive statistics and chi-squared analysis with Yates correction where appropriate. _x000D_

Results

Of 696 SMSNA members surveyed, 92 (13.2%) responded. The plurality of the respondents practiced in an academic setting (43.8%), whereas the remainder practiced in either private or community hospital based settings. While 93.3% of respondents reported treating MSM patients, only 51.7% routinely asked about their patients&[prime] sexual orientation. Of those that don&[prime]t ask, 41.9% responded that sexual orientation is irrelevant to their patients&[prime] care and 25.6% responded that patients will disclose this information if the patient thinks it&[prime]s important. Of all respondents, 51.7% agree that MSM patients have unique sexual healthcare needs, while 48.3% either did not think this population had special needs or did not pay attention to the distinction. Subgroup analyses performed based on practice location showed practitioners in urban locations were significantly more likely to ask their patient&[prime]s orientation compared to suburban and rural settings (p=0.03). _x000D_

Conclusions

Despite the near ubiquity of MSM patients in sexual health clinics, only about half of practitioners ask their patients&[prime] sexual orientation. The most common reason for not asking was the belief that sexual orientation is not relevant to sexual health care. However, the majority of respondents agree that these are special healthcare needs pertinent to this population. _x000D_

Funding

A.S.H. is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) K12 Scholar supported by a Male Reproductive Health Research (MHRH) Career Development Physician-Scientist Award (HD073917-01) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Program (to Dolores J. Lamb).