LGBTQ+ Inclusion in Healthcare
Written by: Victoria | Age: 21
Disclosing your LGBTQ+ identity in a healthcare setting can be a daunting prospect.
As a lesbian and a current medical student I have experienced both sides of this conversation and would love to share some perspectives and some (non-medical) advice and resources for LGBTQ+ people! And also read till the end to find a current incredible opportunity to undertake an online FREE workshop on LGBTQ+ health for medical students/doctors to better their clinical practice.
As a queer person you might know the feeling of sitting in the doctors office and feeling uncomfortable when questions about sexual health and/or gender identity come up. A question such as being sexually active comes up but there is no follow up and you are presumed to be cishet again. And you are not alone in this feeling! In fact a national study in the UK showed that 46% of LGBTQ+ had never disclosed their sexual orientation and/or gender identity to a healthcare professional. Reading this figure is not surprising but it is concerning as a multitude of research has pointed out that non-disclosure results in poorer health outcomes for LGBTQ+ patients. This is in the context of LGBTQ+ people already experiencing a disproportionate rate of physical and mental health conditions.
So - what were some of the reasons that might cause LGBTQ+ people to avoid disclosing their identity to a healthcare professional or even avoid healthcare altogether?
Fears around confidentiality breaches
That the healthcare professional might lack adequate information about the LGBTQ+ patients needs
Lack of holistic care past sexual health
Homophobia and/or transphobia
Cisheteronormativity and its effects
We recognise these barriers as valid concerns of LGBTQ+ people and so it has become more evident that there needs to be a change in the education of up and coming health professionals with current Australian and New Zealand curriculums with limited information about LGBTQ+ health. Organisations like QAMSA - The Queer branch of AMSA (Australia Medical Student Association) are making active change in these areas.
As an LGBTQ+ person you may be wondering if there is information available about LGBTQ+ friendly practitioners? And the answer is yes! Many organisations across Australia like TransHub, ACON and the Australian Lesbian Medical Association have curated lists of practitioners.
So, if you are a medical student/doctor reading this right now and are wondering what you can do to become a more LGBTQ+ informed student or physician - I have the perfect opportunity for you!
QAMSA currently have an online FREE workshop on LGBTQ+ health for medical students/doctors to better their clinical practice. I have linked the registration for this workshop below. This is for both allies of the LGBTQ+ community and LGBTQ+ identifying medical students/doctors as well!
http://www.wavelengthmeded.org/
Below are some references I used to collect information for the above!
Albuquerque G, Garcia C, Quirino G, et al. Access to health ser-vices by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons: systematic literature review. BMC Int Health Hum Rights 2016;16(1):2
Government Equalities Office (GEO) (2018) National LGBT survey: research report. Available at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/gov-ernment/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/721704/LGBT-survey-research-report.pdf.
Sanchez, A. A., Southgate, E., Rogers, G., & Duvivier, R. J. (2017). Inclusion of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Health in Australian and New Zealand Medical Education. LGBT health, 4(4), 295–303. https://doi.org/10.1089/lgbt.2016.0209