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HIGH GEAR AUGUST., 1977

HEALTH RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE

The staff of High Gear urges readers to respond to the following health care questionnaire. Many of the attitudes that health professionals form about gay people result from the lack of gay straight interaction. Misconceptions about the attitudes of gay patients toward doctors can hinder the formation of an effective doctor-patient relationship, which severely handicaps the delivery of quality health care. The results of this questionnaire, which was developed by a medical student under the supervision of the Department of Community Health at Case Western Reserve Medical School, will be published and distributed to health professionals. The larger the number of readers who respond to this survey, the more accurate the results will be and the more credence will be given to the results by those people who provide health care to gays. For your own benefit, please take the time to fill out this questionnaire. Thank you.

HEALTH RESEARCH QUESTIONNAIRE

There is increasing concern that all segments of the population are not receiving the same quality of health care. This is the first survey dealing with the perception by gay people of health care delivery and health professionals' attitudes. Although this survey is addressed to the gay population, it is important that heterosexual readers fill out the questionnaire as well to assure its representatives. THERE ARE NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWERS to the questions, and the first answer that comes to your mind is usually the one most similar to your true feelings.

To assure the anonymity of your responses, mail the completed questionnaire in an envelope with no return address to: HEALTH RESEARCH

c/o High Gear

PO Box 6177

Cleveland, Ohio 44101

Thank you in advance for your cooperation and interest in conducting this study.

SECTION 1. First, we are interested in your feelings about doctors' characteristics and attitudes. Determine the extent to which you agree that the statements below represent your feelings. Use the following scale to indicate your responses:

1STRONGLY AGREE

2 AGREE

3ARE NOT SURE

DISAGREE

STRONGLY DISAGREE

Place the NUMBER of the appropriate response in the blank in front of each statement. Please answer every question.

101 Many doctors test the disease but have no feelings for the patient.

102 Most doctors let you talk out your problems.

103 Doctors act like they're doing you a favor by treating you. 104 Doctors make you feel like everything will be all right. 105 Most doctors have no feelings for their patients.

106 Doctors should be a little more friendly than they are. 107 With so many patients to see, doctors cannot get to know them all.

108 Most doctors take a real interest in their patients.

109 Most doctors are mainly interested in money.

110 I have a great deal of confidence in doctors.

111 My doctor adequately explains my medical problems to me. 112 Many doctors are opinionated and prejudiced.

113 I feel comfortable talking to doctors.

114 I think doctors do a good job.

115 I am sure that anything I say will be held in the strictest confidence by my doctor.

SECTION 2. We are now interested in your feelings about interacting with a doctor and about how you think doctors would react to certain situations dealing with sexuality. Please use the same response format described in SECTION 1.

201 Doctors are uncomfortable discussing sexual problems with patients.

202 If a seriously ill patient in a hospital were allowed visits only from family or loved ones, few doctors would permit a visit by an acknowledged homosexual lover.

203 If I had engaged in oral-genital sex with a person whom I suspected of having gonorrhea, I would be reluctant to ask the doc-

tor to take a throat culture. 204

As long as a doctor makes me feel con fortable and is nonjudgmental about my sexual preferences, I don' care whether s) he is straight or gay.

to a health facility ad the same sexual am unaware of the

205 Given the choice, I would prefer to go whose personnel (doctors, nurses, attendants) preferences as I do rather than a clinic where sexual preferences of the personnel. 206 Whether a patient is heterosexual or home sexual, a doctor vill treat him or her the same.

207 If I believed that I had contracted a vene al disease, I would not hesitate to tell a doctor.

208 When I discuss non-sexual medical or psychological problem s with a doctor, his or her sexual preferences do not concern me 209 When I discuss sexually-related medical or psychologica problems with a doctor, his or her sexual preferences do not con

cern me.

210 Doctors have liberal attitudes towards homosexuals. 211 Few doctors would allow their personal opinions about sexual preferences to affect the treatment of a patient.

212 If I knew that one doctor was gay and one was straight and that both were equally competent medically, I would be more con fortable consulting the straight doctor.

SECTION 3. This section asks questions about yourself and your opinions of other people. Continue to use the response format described in SECTION 1.

301 I take a positive attitude toward myself.

302 Most people can be trusted.

303 I usually feel comfortable in the presence of others.

304

305

No one really cares much what happens to me. I often feel lonely.

306 I frequently feel self-conscious.

307 Generally, most people are cooperative.

308 I have a harder time than other people in making friends. 309 I am less happy than others seem to be.

310 I have an easier time than other people in making conversation.

311 Generally, I feel happy.

SECTION 4. Personal Data. Choose the NUMBER of the appropriate response and place it in the blank in front of each question. Please answer every question.

401

Sex: 1-Male 2-Female

302

Age (fill in):

403 What is your present occupation (fill in):

404 Years of education: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

405 Annual income before taxes in $1000's: 1-under 3 2-3 to 8 3-9 to 14 4-15 to 20 5-21 to 26 6-27 or more 406 Race: 1-Black 2-White 3-Other

407Religion: 1-Catholic 2-Jewish 3-Protestant 4-Other 408-How religious are you? 1-Very 2-Somewhat 3-Not very 4-Not at all

409In the past year did you experience a medical problem for which you did not consult a doctor because of a lack of money? 410 How many times have you seen a doctor in the past 12 months:-

411 Do you have a private physician? 1Yes 2-No

412 If not, where do you usually seek medical care? 1-A free clinic 2-Student health clinic 3-Hospital clinic 4-Emergency room 5Other clinic (please specify):-6-Didn't see a doctor in the past year

C0000

413 If you do have a private doctor, is (s) he, to the best of your knowledge: 1-heterosexual 2-homosexual 3-Do not know 4-Not applicable

414-How do you rate your health? 1-Excellent 2-Good 3-Fair 4Poor

415 Do you currently have any symptoms that you feel require a doctor's attention? 1-Yes 2-No

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