ABSTRACT

Evidence from industrialized countries show that discrimination and experienced and/or perceived negative encounters with healthcare workers affect frequency and type of healthcare sought by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons. In Guyana, and the wider English-speaking Caribbean region, there is a dearth of research on how healthcare workers and students perceive and interact with LGBT patients. This study investigated the attitudes and knowledge with regards to LGBT health among students at a medical school in Guyana by using quantitative, self-administered online surveys. We analyzed data using SPSS for descriptive and analytic calculations, and results showed that students held moderately prejudiced attitudes toward LGBT persons. Religiosity and heterosexual orientation were the main factors found to be associated with negative attitudes. Knowledge levels were also moderate with pronounced deficiencies in certain areas, and almost all students had not received LGBT-specific medical education, but most indicated a desire for such education.

摘要

来自工业化国家的证据表明，歧视以及与医护人员的经历和/或感知的负面接触会影响女同性恋、男同性恋、双性恋和跨性别 (LGBT) 人寻求医疗保健的频率和类型。在圭亚那和更广泛的讲英语的加勒比地区，缺乏关于医护人员和学生如何看待和与 LGBT 患者互动的研究。本研究通过使用定量、自我管理的在线调查，调查了圭亚那医学院学生对 LGBT 健康的态度和知识。我们使用 SPSS 分析数据进行描述性和分析性计算，结果显示学生对 LGBT 人群持有中度偏见态度。宗教信仰和异性恋倾向是与消极态度相关的主要因素。知识水平也适中，在某些领域存在明显不足，几乎所有学生都没有接受过针对 LGBT 的医学教育，但大多数学生表示希望接受这种教育。