Like other marginalised communities, the LGBTQ+ community experiences disparities in healthcare experience. To start, there is a lack of representation of the LGBTQ+ community in anatomical resources and oftentimes when there is representation in medical education, it is in the context of HIV (Smith, 2022; King et al, 2021). This lack of representation inevitably leads to the formation of implicit biases of the community, eventually leading to poorer patient-practitioner interactions. This is represented in the statistics, where 15% of LGBTQ+ individuals postpone or avoid seeking medically necessary care due to fear of discrimination (Soled et al, 2022). Even healthcare professionals who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community may avoid sharing their identity for fear of discrimination at work (Soled et al, 2022). Coupled with this, 40% of LGBTQ+ students are “fearful of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination from their peers” (Gibson et al, 2020).
Compared to 1.3% of straight young adults (aged 18-25), 6% of lesbian and gay and 5% of bisexual young adults had attempted suicide in the past year (Price-Feeney et al, 2020). This is a staggering statistic that emphasises the importance of having clinicians who are competent and compassionate regarding LGBTQ+ healthcare. 62% of transgender males have seriously considered suicide in the past year, and 35% have attempted it (Price-Feeney et al, 2020). In addition to this, trans individuals felt that if they disclosed their identity, they would receive a substandard level of care due to their gender identity (Seelman et al, 2017).
Those in the LGBTQ+ also have an increased risk of physical health problems such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, testicular, prostate, endometrial, and breast cancers (Arthur et al, 2021). They are also at increased risk of sexually transmitted infections and experiences of sexual violence (Arthur et al, 2021). Another study found that gay and bisexual men reported higher rates of smoking, alcohol use, and poorer general health overall (Dilley et al, 2010).
So what do we do as healthcare professionals to address these disparities and make our LGBTQ+ patients feel more comfortable? First is by sharing the measures you are taking to provide competent care to the community, such as nondiscrimination policies and taking measures to become more educated on the specific healthcare needs of the LGBTQ+ population (Seelman et al, 2017). Students have reported that there is a deficit in LGBTQ+-specific healthcare training and this is something that needs to change (Arthur et al, 2021). This is evidenced by the fact that students who have greater LGBTQ+ clinical experience provide higher-quality care to their LGBTQ+ patients (Gibson et al, 2020).
References:
Arthur, S., Jamieson, A., Cross, H., Nambiar, K., Llewellyn, C.D. (2021), BMC Medical Education, 21.
Dilley, J.A., Simmons, K.W., Boysun, M.J., Pizacani, B.A., Stark, M.J. (2010) ‘Demonstrating the Importance and Feasibility of Including Sexual Orientation in Public Health Surveys: Health Disparities in the Pacific Northwest’, American Journal of Public Health, 100(3), pp.460-467.
Gibson, A.W., Gobillot, T.A., Wang, K., Conley, E., Coard, W., Matsumoto K., Letourneau, H., Patel, S., Merel, S.E., Sairenji, T., Whipple, M.E., Ryan M.R., Morales, L.S., Heinen, C. (2020) ‘A Novel Curriculum for Medical Student Training in LGBTQ Healthcare: A Regional Pathway Experience’, Journal of Medical Curricular Development, 7.
King, K.R., Fuselier, L., Sirvisetty, H. (2021) ‘LGBTQIA+ invisibility in nursing anatomy/physiology textbooks’, Journal of Professional Nursing, 37(5), pp. 816-827.
Price-Feeney, M., Green, A.E, Dorison, S. (2020) ‘Understanding the Mental Health of Transgender and Nonbinary Youth’, Journal of Adolescent Health, 66(6), pp. 684-690.
Seelman, K.L., Colon-Diaz, M.J.P., LeCroix, R.H., Xavier-Brier, M., Kattari, L. (2017) ‘Transgender Noninclusive Healthcare and Delaying Care Because of Fear: Connections to General Health and Mental Health Among Transgender Adults’, Transgender Health, 2(1), pp. 17-28.
Smith, T.C. (2022) ‘Re-examining our roots: Queer history and anatomy’, Anatomical Record, 305(4), pp. 968-982.
Soled, K.R.S., Clark, K.D., Altman, M.R., Bosse, J.D., Thompson, R.A., Squires, A., Sherman, A.D.F. (2022) ‘Changing language, changes lives: Learning the Lexicon of LGBTQ+ health equity’, Res Nurs Health, 45(6), pp.621-632.
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