Lesbian Women's Sexual Health - Research Paper Example

? Lesbian Women’s Sexual Health Introduction According to Dolan (2005), Lesbian Women's Sexual Health is a neglected area of government policy and practice within the United States of America. Described as a major health threat associated with lesbian women, Lesbian Women’s Health has become a major public concern. However, a number of health care providers have considered the dangers associated with lesbian women not to be the same as those associated with those for heterosexual women, therefore arguing that there are no major concerns that are specific to the lesbian women population. This assumption has thus failed to acknowledge that majority of lesbian women need sexual orientation as they too have had heterosexual relationships and may possibly be at risk of developing addition sexual health problems such as cervical neoplasia, for instance. According to Dolan (2005), the orientation of Lesbian women should not be ignored as they also face a number of other health risks. Many of these additional health risks reflect their stigmatized status, their limited access to health care as well as health communication. This particular paper therefore intends to provide a review of Lesbian Women's Sexual Health as a neglected area of practice. Why the Issue of Lesbian Women’s Sexual Health is Important as a Neglected Area of Practice As highlighted by Edwards (2008), the health needs of lesbian women have been described as one of the most ignored areas as far as health care is concerned. As a consequence, Edwards (2008) argues that it is important that they are provided with an accessible, impartial as well as an appropriately sensitive care that relies on the deconstruction of the erroneous assumption of lesbians as particular kinds of women with specific health needs related to their sexuality. Edwards (2008) highlights that lesbian women are not in any way different from other women, but socially-created notions of lesbianism generally bring about experiences that affect their use of as well as treatment by the various health services. It is as a result of Women's Sexual Health neglect as an area of practice that lesbian women have been thought to be at negligible risk for cases such as sexually transmitted infections and cervical neoplasia. According to Dolan (2005), they face a number of risks that may affect their physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual healths.In terms of physical health, sexual practices among lesbians lead to STIs as well as other physical injuries, some of which are almost unknown within the heterosexual population. According to Ferris et.al (1996), a number of publications have, nonetheless, observed that cases of STIs are not commonly reported among lesbian women. This observation has, however, failed to take into consideration that 75%-90% of lesbian women have had heterosexual relationships at some point in their life. As Dolan (2005) highlights, they do test positive for STDs and AIDs with several researchers examining the prevalence of STDs among them. It is also well proved that there are high levels of psychiatric issues such as depression, substance abuse and suicide attempts among lesbians. This is particularly true in countries where such relationships are socially accepted. Additionally, Lesbian women face the possibility of internalized homophobias. The issue of lesbian’s sexual health therefore has profound effect on the families, friends, community as well as the general health care providers. A large number of these groups of people often feel threatened by individuals with sexual preferences other than those of their own. As a consequence, they express their fears in a number of ways ranging from slight discrimination to an open violence. However, while there is a general view that things have slightly improved for lesbian people over the last 50 years in most parts of the globe, there is still doubt as regards whether they receive acceptance from friends, colleagues, health care providers and families. It is this constant pressure of how to deal with the uncertainty that has an impact on their health. According to Simkin (1991), majority of women view this issue as abnormal affecting just a percentage of the population. Critical Review of Research Literature Addressing the Topic As highlighted by Dolan (2005), Lesbian women face a range of health issues that are directly linked to the sexuality. However, until recent; there had been little debate regarding the healthcare needs of this minority group. As highlighted by Edwards (2008), however, the focus has now shifted considerably since the issue of lesbianism was first identified. Much has since then been written bringing into light the fact of the need to understand as well as value the lives of those who are perceived as different. Discrimination and managing homophobia has been argued to affect their health with research also revealing that lesbians have reduced access to health care, take longer before seeking any treatment and are less well examined for health conditions compared to heterosexual people. Dolan (2005) argues that although lesbian women are as diverse as the heterosexual population, their experience with discrimination due to their sexuality creates common health issues with the society generally regarding heterosexuality as the most tolerable sexual orientation. Ferris et.al (1996) also highlights that there is a widely accepted notion by many health care providers that lesbian women do not require the Pap smear testing. This is due to the fact that many health care providers are not aware that about 80% of lesbian women had earlier on in their lifetime had heterosexual intercourses. Additionally, the remaining 20% who have never been involved in heterosexual intercourse may not be at low risk of contacting health problems such as cervical neoplasia. According to Edwards (2008), latest research also provides very worrying trends as far as the uptake and experiences of health care by lesbian women is concerned. Edwards (2008) highlights that a recently carried out research found out health care providers to be non-supportive, judgmental as well as negative when an individual’s sexual orientation was identified. This included also a worrying fact that a large number of lesbian women decide not to go on with care due to the negative experiences they go through after disclosure. However, according to Edwards (2008), the inclusion of lesbianism into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders has now created a full relationship between lesbians and health care providers. Initially; their visibility relied mainly on their sexuality being placed clearly within the sickness standard that led researchers to look for a cause, treatment as well as a cure for this particular phenomenon. However, it was not until the 1950s that the findings of various researches on lesbianism were recognized as a natural expression of human sexuality. Unfortunately again, this historical context has not helped much as it has left a damaging reputation whereby lesbian women have been known to fear confession, rejection as well as exposure in health care environments,as a result, remaining silent about their health issues. Health providers have therefore perceived lesbianism as an issue reflecting attitudes of a given group within the society (Edwards (2008). Integration /Summary of Research Literature Review The review draws attention to the fact that frequent disregard for lesbian women as far as screening of various Lesbian Health Issues such as cervical neoplasia are concerned. Such patients are often not screened based on various assumptions regarding their sexual orientation. As a result, most patients often cite prior unpleasant experiences with judgmental physicians as negatively influencing their compliance with testing. Nursing Practice Nursing is a challenging field that needs great and maximum regulation considering the fact that it deals with life of human beings. For this reason, it has been a customary to offer special education to nurses as well as patients. Nurses for example, needs to be trained on how to present particular questions intended to screening of the domestic violence occurring in certain communities. In order to ensure success in the process of questioning domestic violence, nurses need to be in possession of expansive psychological knowledge to enable them learn beforehand the possible reaction of the patients when asked certain questions. Such training enables nurses to avoid provocative questions and be able to present and frame the questions in ways that do not offend the patients. In the case of Lesbians who often face rejection from the families and societies, nurses needs to be trained and educated on systems that they can use to present their questions without seeming to stigmatize or rebuke the patient (College and Registered Nurses of Alberta, 2003). Nurses further needs to be educated on the aspects of recognizing diversity in the societies where they carry their operations. Nurses need to respect and treat Lesbians in equal measure as they can do any other patient seeking medical attention. Acceptable nursing practices should involve acceptance of the Lesbians and treating them in a way that avoids psychological, physical and emotional depression. Cultural diversity is another aspect that needs thorough recognition of the nurses and patients as whole. In every society there exist different cultural practices perhaps among small population in the entire society. Patients and nurses needs to be reminded that Lesbianism though rare and at times unacceptable, is part of cultural choice of particular people in a society. Nursing practice also needs for creation of detailed social awareness within the community served. Creating social awareness about the existence of Lesbians by nurses requires use of media and strategic communication system aided by the growing technological advancement. Societies need to be informed about the existence of the Lesbians and their probability of contracting particular sexual diseases. Programs addressing the plight of the Lesbians need to be aired on radios and televisions alongside informing societies of the basic rights reserved for the Lesbians just as the straight partners. Nursing practice also should restrict nurses from exposing to the public the particular individuals perceived as Lesbians. This is to ensure maximum honesty and confidentiality of information regarding sexual orientation of the Lesbians (Dolan, 2005). Ethical nursing practice should be directed encouraging Lesbians to go for health tests. It is through media that nurses can unanimously address anonymous groups on ways to safeguard self from health risks that Lesbians are exposed to. Acceptable nursing practices require maximum use of technologies in protecting fundamental information about particular Lesbian patient in order to maintain maximum privacy of the particular. Appropriate communication lines are also required to help maintain dignity and easy access to information by the Lesbian patients. Nurses also should merge with human rights activists to lobby for establishment of laws that can protect the rights of the Lesbians to cushion them from the stigma and dislike by the societies. In order to ensure healthy communities where the health well being of Lesbians is recognized, it is purposeful to conduct health promotion programs. This is basic considering the fact that the ignorance of Lesbians can lead to uncontrolled spread of sexually transmitted diseases like the herpes, gonorrhea, thrush, genital warts, syphilis and trichomonas vaginalis (TV). To ensure effective health promotion of the Lesbians without disclosure of specific individuals in the societies, an upstream strategy is the most viable method of health promotion. Upstream strategy will ensure education of the general public covering the rights of Lesbians and the probable ways of contracting diseases as well as avenues of avoiding the sexually transmitted diseases. This strategy will maintain privacy and confidentiality of the health and sexual orientation of the particular Lesbian patient. Unlike downstream strategy that targets specific groups with specific health problems; upstream strategy will address the Lesbians indirectly in the midst of a great population. Upstream strategy ensures reduction of stigmatism and rejection of Lesbians within their societies of their existence. Nursing Policy and programming To avoid negligence of the Lesbians from the light of serious health care, nurses need to push for creation, revision and adoption of the public and healthy public policies. Both the two policies are mainly activated at the national level and run to the local level. Public policy is made by governmental agencies and presented to the legislatures for approval on behalf of the entire public. Creation and implementation of the public policy at national level assists in that it ensure economic equality of Lesbians just like other lines of cohabitation. According to Dickson and Flynn (2008), public policy also seeks to address the wrong perception and misconception of the societies with regard to the issue of Lesbians. Public policy is in itself advantageous to the Lesbians since it defends and defines health rights of all nationalists without restriction of certain culturally or sexually diverse groups (Cohen, Mason, Kovner, Leavitt, Pulcini, & Solchalski, 1996). With public policy in place, the government is compelled to release national resources in conducting health research affecting particular groups in the societies. The use of improved technology in screening and diagnosing the Lesbian patients are among the advantages of the adopting public policy. Healthy public policy on the other hand also presents the hopes of promoting accountability of the nurses and creating conducive environment for healthy living of the Lesbian patients. Healthy public policy ensures thorough education of the public, communication and improved agricultural well being of the societies (McNair, 2009). Healthy public policy advocates for equality and easing access to the national resources without an element of discrimination. In addition, healthy public policy seeks to address economic and social inequality to ensure complete inclusion of the Lesbians in the contemporary societies. The health matters of the Lesbians are of global impact and the entire world is in array to ensure total respect for the Lesbians in the societies. The globalization of health matters concerning the Lesbians ahs been fanned by the international bodies like the WHO, UN and UNICEF, who try to fight for the rights of marginalized groups. WHO, UN and the UNICEF are working hard to mobilize human rights activists to push the governments and ruling authorities towards creating policies that protect the rights of Lesbians. In addition, WHO, UN and the UNICEF contributes money that sponsor campaigns enlightening people about the sexually transmitted diseases and their mode of transmission among people of different sexual orientations. Furthermore, WHO, UN and the UNICEF have been conducting educational programs destined to inform the public about existence of the Lesbians and need to respect their rights and freedom of choice. Conclusion It is clear from the above review that Lesbians Women’s Sexual Health is a serious medical issue with serious consequences. The above review also brings to light the need to discuss women sexuality issues so as to receive crucial information. It raises a number of issues such as discrimination and dealing with homophobia as the major reasons behind lesbian women’s lack of access to healthcare. Educating nurses about the codes of conduct and nursing practice is fundamental in defining and preparing competent nurses. Nursing practices worth of inculcation into individual nurses should encompass the concept of diversity. Nurses should be informed of the existence of the Lesbian and their contemporary rights. Nurses are supposed to treat and handle Lesbians in equal measures as they do to the otherwise sexual orients. Nurses should consider Lesbians as groups exposed to sexually transmitted diseases just as do the others and should advise and educate the Lesbians on proper ways of avoiding sexually transmitted diseases. Nurses also need to get psychological training so that they can be able to analyze and detect characters of individual patients when asked certain questions. Such knowledge will enable nurses in ensuring maximum respect of individuals’ dignity and avoid unnecessary squabbles with the patients. it also noteworthy that upstream is the most viable strategy of promoting health of a given population. This is because the strategy does not concentrate on individuals but addresses the general public and becomes convenient when addressing Lesbians since it does not require exposure of the latter in public. Public and healthy public policies constitute the best merger of policies that can be adopted to ensure maximum protection of Lesbians while at the same time treating them well. Public and healthy public policies are usually structured by the government agencies and legislated to address public problems. With the two policies set in operation, Lesbians are assured safety and confidentiality since they do not require to be operated at individual levels in the public spectrum, but can be effective in private. The policies also ensure economic and general social equality despite whether one is Lesbian or not. In support of the two policies are the international organizations like the WHO, UN and the UNICEF that have sought to campaign for the protection of the rights of the Lesbian in the societies and ensure that they are always healthy. References College and Registered Nurses of Alberta. (2003). Nursing Practice Standards. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from: http://www.nurses.ab.ca/pdf/Nursing%20Practice%20Standards.pdf Dickson, G. & Flynn, L. (2008).Nursing Policy Research. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from: http://www.springerpub.com/samples/9780826133335_chapter.pdf Dolan, K. (2005). Lesbian women and sexual health: The social construction of risk and susceptibility. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press. Edwards, M. (2008).The Informed Practice Nurse, Edition 2, illustrated, John Wiley and Sons Ferris, D.G, Batish, S, Wright, T.C & Scott, E.H. (1996). A neglected lesbian health concern: cervical neoplasia, Journal of Family Practice Simkin, R.J. (1991).Lesbians face Unique Health Care Problems McNair, R. (2009). Lesbian and bisexual women’s sexual health. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from: http://www.racgp.org.au/afp/200906/200906mcnair.pdf S Cohen, S., Mason, D., Kovner, C., Leavitt, J., Pulcini, J., & Solchalski, J. (1996). Stages of nursing’s political development: Where we’ve been and where we ought to go. Nursing Outlook. Vol. 44(1), 20-23 Read More