Interaction strategies of lesbian, gay, and bisexual healthcare practitioners in the clinical examination of patients: qualitative study.

Objective: To explore how lesbian, gay, and bisexual healthcare practitioners manage their identity in the clinical examination of patients.

Design: Qualitative study using grounded theory.

Setting: Hospital and primary health care.

Participants: 16 healthcare professionals who identified themselves as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, and are involved in the clinical examination of patients.

Results: Healthcare professionals engage in a complex interplay of identity management strategies to avoid homophobic abuse; as a signal of safety from homophobia and understanding for their lesbian, gay, and bisexual patients and as a desexualisation strategy principally for gay men and their women patients. Their training has not helped them deal with ethical and medicolegal anxieties.

Conclusion: In the light of new legislation, published guidelines will help training and governing bodies understand and help ameliorate the added pressures on their lesbian, gay, and bisexual students and medical staff.