1. When Stigma, Disclosure, and Access to Care Collide: An Ethical Reflection of mpox Vaccination Outreach.
- Author
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Birch L, Bindert A, Macias S, Luo E, Nwanah P, Green N, Stamps J, Crooks N, Singer RM, Johnson R, and Singer RB
- Subjects
- Female, Humans, Male, Chicago, Disclosure ethics, Mpox, Monkeypox prevention & control, Health Services Accessibility ethics, Sexual and Gender Minorities psychology, Social Stigma, Vaccination ethics, Vaccination psychology, Smallpox Vaccine administration & dosage
- Abstract
Experiences of stigma in health care encounters among LGBTQ+ populations (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer and questioning) have long been a barrier to care. Marginalization and historically grounded fears of stigmatization have contributed to a reluctance to disclose sexual behavior and/or gender identity to health care providers. We reflect on how student nurses grappled with the ethics of patient disclosure while providing mobile outreach in Chicago for mpox (formerly monkeypox) from fall 2022 to spring 2023. Student nurses addressed how requiring disclosure of sexual behavior or sexual orientation may serve as a barrier to accessing preventive care, such as mpox vaccination. Accounts of stigma and criminalization experienced by LGBTQ+ people provide insight on challenges historically associated with disclosure in health care., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
- Published
- 2024
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