Knowledge and attitudes towards LGBT people and their healthcare needs among doctors in two selected hospitals in Sri Lanka

INTRODUCTION: The sexual and gender minority (SGM) community is subjected to discrimination in healthcare settings due to the lack of knowledge and hostile attitudes among healthcare professionals globally. This study assesses the knowledge and attitudes of doctors in two hospitals in Sri Lanka towards SGM people & identifies various factors associated with their knowledge & attitudes. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 112 Medical Officers in two Sri Lankan hospitals. Data were collected through an online self-administered survey created using the modified SEKHQ (Sex Education and Knowledge about Homosexuality Questionnaire) & AHQ (Attitudes Towards Homosexuality Questionnaire). The response rate was 97.3% (N = 109). Cutoff scores were created to determine whether the knowledge and attitudes were ‘good’, & we used the Pearson correlation to assess their relationship. The association between attitudes and various factors was analyzed using the t test and we report p-values under 0.05. RESULTS: The preliminary results indicated that most Medical Officers had ‘good’ knowledge (70.6%; n = 84) & attitudes (94.5%; n = 103) toward SGM people. A moderate & positive linear correlation (r = 0.567) between knowledge & attitudes was noted, such that better knowledge aligned with better attitudes. Sociodemographic factors, such as sex, marital status, & hometown of the participants, & professional factors, such as years of experience & graduation from university, showed no association with attitudes. In contrast, a strong association between self-perceived religiosity (higher religiosity) & negative attitudes was identified (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The knowledge and attitudes of doctors in the selected hospitals are satisfactory, & knowledge is a possible tool in shaping the attitudes toward the SGM community in Sri Lanka. Self-perceived religiosity harmed attitudes, which calls attention to specific education efforts needed among more religious providers.