Primary Submission Category: Health equity
Perceptions of cis Black women regarding self-advocacy for sexual health with healthcare providers
Authors: Mandy Hill Sarah Sapp Shadawn McCants Jeffrey Campbell Diane Santa Maria
Presenting Author: Mandy Hill*
Background: Sociocultural factors like medical mistrust and avoidance by healthcare providers (HCPs) can avert PrEP initiation among cisgender Black women. Yet, there is a dearth of qualitative work exploring perceptions of Black women regarding their experiences with engaging HCPs in sexual health discussions where pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is considered.
Methods: Qualitative methods were used to inquire about personal experiences with sexual health discussions with HCPs among adult cisgender Black women ages 18 and older.
Results: Themes identified from focus groups during an interim data analysis explored feelings of comfort when conversing with HCPs about sexual health. One participant stated, ‘I feel comfortable enough to say, yes…whether or not she will listen to me or not, that’s another story, but I feel comfortable enough being my own advocate now, but that is recent.’ When inquiring about offerings of HIV testing, one participant stated, I don’t ask for it [sexual health testing], they will not test me for it’. One participant expressed hesitancy in identifying a new HCPs and specifically stated, ‘Unfortunately, I just have to take the good with the bad in acknowledging that I can just have this conversation with her [current HCPs] or … someone else, and start over with someone minimizing my concerns, not listening to me, or adding their own unjust biases on me….keeping the devil you know versus the devil you don’t. so because she is a Black woman, I try really hard to humanize myself with her…If it were you, give me everything that you would want.’
Conclusions: Study findings illuminate gaps in health communication about PrEP. Provider-patient relationships require attention to bridge the gap between HCPs and Black female patients. Overcoming barriers to PrEP initiation, like racial bias, are necessary to end the HIV epidemic.