Sexual History Taking: An Opportunity to Reduce Health Disparities.

ABSTRACT: Sexual history taking is an important part of caring for any clinical population. However, the topic is often wrapped in discomfort that makes it more challenging than it needs to be for both the provider and the individual providing the history. The act of taking an effective sexual history is more than simply asking all the right questions in the right ways; it requires an awareness of the impact of the clinical environment, the provider's own comfort with the content, and an awareness of any personal biases. In this study, we provide a framework for evaluating and addressing many of these factors as well as providing key points for consideration as a health care provider of any level. We offer several concrete strategies for including these strategies and processes in multiple clinical environments.

Disproportionate Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Perceived Social Support, Mental Health and Somatic Symptoms in Sexual and Gender Minority Populations.

Deaths from COVID-19 continue to rise, and this virus has asymmetric impacts on marginalized communities though specific impacts on sexual and gender minority communities are not well understood. From March 23 to June 20, 2020, in an online cross-sectional survey among 1380 US adults, we assessed physical symptoms, psychological symptoms, rumination, and perceived social support in order to describe differences between sexual and gender minority (n = 290) and cisgender heterosexual (n = 1090) respondents. Sexual and gender minority respondents had more frequent COVID-19-associated physical symptoms and depression and anxiety symptoms. Sexual and gender minorities had a significantly higher proportion of depression and anxiety scores exceeding the clinical concern threshold. Longitudinal studies on the physical and psychological impacts of COVID-19 among sexual and gender minority communities are needed to inform interventions to eliminate these disparities.

A systematic review of physician leadership and emotional intelligence.

OBJECTIVE: This review evaluates the current understanding of emotional intelligence (EI) and physician leadership, exploring key themes and areas for future research. LITERATURE SEARCH: We searched the literature using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Business Source Complete for articles published between 1990 and 2012. Search terms included physician and leadership, emotional intelligence, organizational behavior, and organizational development. All abstracts were reviewed. Full articles were evaluated if they addressed the connection between EI and physician leadership. Articles were included if they focused on physicians or physicians-in-training and discussed interventions or recommendations. APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS: We assessed articles for conceptual rigor, study design, and measurement quality. A thematic analysis categorized the main themes and findings of the articles. RESULTS: The search produced 3713 abstracts, of which 437 full articles were read and 144 were included in this review. Three themes were identified: (1) EI is broadly endorsed as a leadership development strategy across providers and settings; (2) models of EI and leadership development practices vary widely; and (3) EI is considered relevant throughout medical education and practice. Limitations of the literature were that most reports were expert opinion or observational and studies used several different tools for measuring EI. CONCLUSIONS: EI is widely endorsed as a component of curricula for developing physician leaders. Research comparing practice models and measurement tools will critically advance understanding about how to develop and nurture EI to enhance leadership skills in physicians throughout their careers.