Article Archive

New textbook aims to improve clinician, consumer understanding of lesbian health

Issue: March 2010

UCSF Nursing Press announced the release of a new textbook focusing on lesbian health, based on extensive research and the clinical experience of its 46 chapter authors.

Initially conceived as a textbook for physicians and nurses, Lesbian Health 101- A Clinician’s Guide the book is written in consumer-friendly language and also can be used as a reference for students or by lesbians interested in learning about their own health.

The book covers a range of health-related issues for lesbians along the lifecycle continuum, including health screenings, substance abuse, depression, reproduction, menopause, partner violence, disabilities, and hospice care.

“Many clinicians wrongly assume that lesbians face the same health issues as heterosexual women when in fact, this population is more at risk for cancer, heart disease and substance abuse. As the first evidence-based textbook focused on lesbian health for clinicians, Lesbian Health 101 is intended to help doctors and nurses identify and more sensitively manage the needs of lesbian patients,” said Suzanne L. Dibble, DNSc, R.N., the book’s co-editor, professor at the Institute for Health and Aging in the UCSF School of Nursing, and co-founder and former co-director of the UCSF Lesbian Health & Research Center (LHRC).

The book comes one decade after the government released two significant reports recognizing the underserved health needs of lesbians. In 1999, the Institute of Medicine reported that the U.S. health care system does not adequately serve the lesbian population. In 2000, the Department of Health and Human Services released “Healthy People 2010,” its 10-year plan, which identified lesbian and gay Americans as one of six groups affected by health disparities.

“Lesbians often face barriers in accessing quality health care due to lack of insurance, the non-legal status of their partners, homophobic attitudes among clinicians, and gaps in research on their specific health issues,” said Patricia A. Robertson, M.D., the book’s other co-editor, professor in the UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, and former co-director of the UCSF LHRC. “I hope in another 10 years, as we gather more data on which to base clinical guidelines and as health policies become more enlightened, that the need for this book or its content will have changed dramatically.”

Back to Article Archive