Caring for lesbian and gay people: a clinical guide

Allan Peterkin and Cathy Risdon

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Toronto: University of Toronto Press; 2003. 336 pp. $85 (cloth) ISBN 0-8020-4857-9 $40 (paper) ISBN 0-8020-8379-X

Rating: ****

Audience: All medical trainees and physicians

Content: With this clinical guide, psychiatrist Allan Peterkin and family physician Cathy Risdon have made an outstanding contribution to the global literature on gay and lesbian health. Anchored solidly in scientific literature and well supported by references, the text is remarkably practical.

Chapters open with clear, topical overviews and are cleverly enhanced with clinical vignettes that offer concrete examples of best practice. There are sections on building rapport between physician and patient, sexual health, gay and lesbian adolescents, sexually transmitted diseases, issues surrounding HIV infection and prevention, mental health, substance use, body image and modification, relationships, and special groups within the gay and lesbian population — ethnic minorities, Aboriginals, the elderly, people with disabilities, rural residents and bisexual, transsexual and transgendered people.

Strengths: The chapter on professional and training issues is an excellent must-read for all leaders in medical education in Canada. Helpful strategies for curriculum development at undergraduate and postgraduate levels are provided. This chapter describes and amply illustrates how to identify and reduce homophobia in professional settings, develop a healthy and mature practice environment and promote the health and well-being of gay and lesbian physicians.

It would be an advantage to our communities if this book were a mandatory read for medical trainees and adopted as a staple resource by Canadian physicians in their daily clinical work.

Limitations: None noted.

Derek Puddester Director Faculty Wellness Program Associate Professor Department of Psychiatry University of Ottawa Ottawa, Ont.

This book is available through your local book retailer, or through the publisher at www.utppublishing.com/detail.asp?TitleID=2588