GPS told to ask patients about sexuality - BBC news

[margot-rain]

Just been browsing the BBC news website and saw this article on the homepage. Wondered what you guys thought about it. 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-41625402

 

 

[Rynn]

I understand that this was done with good intentions, in order to monitor potential mental health risk patients more closely, but there is something profoundly creepy about a database that records people's sexual orientations. What if it's hacked? 

I would not disclose my orientation if they asked. 

 

Also, they did not include 'asexual' as a box you could check. Just saying.

[K.I.N.G]

1 minute ago, Laurann said:

I understand that this was done with good intentions, in order to monitor potential mental health risk patients more closely, but there is something profoundly creepy about a database that records people's sexual orientations. What if it's hacked? 

I would not disclose my orientation if they asked. 

Agreed - i can see the benefits in the long term however as much as they have good intentions i still fear that it will lead to people being discriminated in some instances as there will always be people with strong negative feelings towards the LGBT+ community and who wish to make their views and opinions known the the patient which would be extremely damaging to the person especially if they were also questioning or unsure about their sexuality/gender. 

[Rynn]

Also, it's odd that they want your sexual orientation, but not information on whether you're trans or intersex, because that can be medically a lot more relevant, since a lot of diseases are more common for females/males or have different symptoms in females/males.

[K.I.N.G]

4 minutes ago, Laurann said:

Also, it's odd that they want your sexual orientation, but not information on whether you're trans, because that can be medically a lot more relevant, since a lot of diseases are more common for females/males or have different symptoms in females/males.

I was thinking the same but the article said they were collecting details such as sex, race and sexual orientation and i took the sex to also include gender along with what the patient was assigned at birth.

[Ortac]

I can't think of any reason why a doctor would have valid reason from a professional standpoint to ask a patient's sexual orientation. What they would have valid reason to ask about is actual sexual activity - it is this that they should focus on, not orientation. 

[banana monkey]

yeah, it would raise visibility which is a good thing and as such may get influence on other campaigns/areas to do with the same thing. However, it may be more relevant to ask about sexual behaviour as otherwise could lead to false sterotypes such as asexuals do not have sex. It may be relevant to know sexual orientation if one is sexually active so it may come as a 2nd question or such. Though I suppose it may avoid a situation such as the one I was put in about 4 years ago when a medical professional insisted I took a urine test when I insisted there really was nil chance I was pregnant. It wasn't until I had given up and I was on the way to the bathroom 30 mins later and on the way said something which meant they somehow got I had never been sexually active that they finally believed me. 

[Jewel Bright]

I think it is very relevant, though, I agree that not having asexuality listed is not going to help. Doctors already have a lot of info that is required to be secret, so it makes sense to me.

[Snao Cone]

Statistical information is important. It's totally fair for people to decline to answer, and people shouldn't have to bring up their orientation with their doctor unless it's relevant - which, as @Ortac stated, is more about sexual activity than the orientation itself. But it can matter and may be worth asking despite people's political sensitivities.

 

 

[Tanwen]

What has it got to do with them? How can my orientation have any effect on whether I need medical attention? What   are they going to do with the information? With whom will they share it? Government IT systems are notoriously 'leaky' anyway (what else when everything is done on the cheap?) so I'm not happy with the information that's held on me as it is - this is an intrusion too far  

[Perkins]

If you don't want to answer then you'll be labelled not stated or not known so I don't see the big issue on it. The people that are open with it can answer, those that aren't have the option not to.

[Janus the Fox]

I could see how collecting such data could help to efficiently target sexuality related treatments and to where best budget such more effectively, provided of course such disclosure often means presumed sexual behaviour and its risks.  Such data could be useful for some kind of data collecting research where other means of data collecting could be much harder to obtain.

[Grumpy Alien]

As I've stated in chat, I think it's pointless. It's not really relevant to a GP and won't have any impact on patient care. I don't think it's the worst thing ever but I do think it's stupid. Sorry, not sorry.

[scarletlatitude]

Moving to PPS since this is not an article on asexuality

 

scarletlatitude

World Watch mod

[ThatHuman]

*reads 'mental health'*

 

No.

 

*THE END*

 

Don't ask - it one hell off a controversy (I feel)... I'm still not over it...