Who Cares? Institutional Barriers to Health Care for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Persons » (1st Edition)

Eliason, Michele J., PhD, RN (Univ of Iowa)

The book contains black-and-white illustrations.

Carol Ren Kneisl

This soft-cover book consists of 10 chapters exclusively devoted to combating prejudice against lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons in healthcare settings. The book has no preface, therefore, the author's purpose -- exploration of institutionalized prejudices about gay, lesbian, and bisexual persons and the offering of potential solutions -- is implied. The book is needed since the literature in the healthcare area related to this population is relatively scant. This book appears to be targeted to nurses and nursing students, although any healthcare worker would find it valuable. The author is credentialed and her research has been focused in this area. There are tables, but no illustrations. References are current and varied. The detailed table of contents is inadequate in some aspects, as is the index. This makes it difficult to find specific content. The reader would think that depression and domestic violence do not occur among gay men because it is not specifically identified. An excellent feature of this book is the exercise at the end of each chapter that encourages critical thinking. This is an important book for all healthcare workers. It clearly and logically, and in measured tones, explores the fears, stereotyping, and prejudice this population contends with in healthcare environments. There are some content omissions, such as domestic violence among lesbians and sexual dysfunction among gay men. The chapter on healthcare provider attitudes barely mentions gay, lesbian, or bisexual healthcare providers. This area should be covered in greater depth and included in the detailed table of contents and the index. I highly recommend this book for purchase by individuals;it should definitely be in libraries.