Affirmation of LGBTQ+ healthcare providers: A dynamic process, requiring ongoing education and training

Abstract

Introduction

LGBTQ+ patients continue to face high levels of discrimination and disparities in healthcare environments partly due to a lack of accessible affirming healthcare providers. Providers in LGBTQ+ healthcare may have unrecognized gaps in their affirmation due to a lack of continual education and training after achieving a self-determined high standard. It is unclear how an LGBTQ+ training would affect self-reported clinical attributes of LGBTQ+ healthcare providers.

Method

Self-identified LGBTQ+ affirming providers (N = 131) received an online LGBTQ+ training. Participants completed a survey consisting of demographic questions and the seven-point Likert LGBT Development of Clinical Skills Scale (LGBT-DOCSS) immediately before, right after, and three months following the training.

Result

Providers had very high baseline LGBT-DOCSS scores prior to training. Clinical Preparedness and Basic Knowledge significantly increased immediately following training and improvements were sustained at three months.

Conclusion

Despite achieving high baselines of LGBTQ+ preparedness and knowledge, LGBTQ+ affirming providers can continue to learn and improve and likely need regular ongoing education and training to maintain high levels of affirmation in the rapidly evolving field of LGBTQ+ healthcare.

Keywords:

• Affirmation
• attitudes
• education
• knowledge
• preparedness
• provider
• training

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank OutCare Health for delivering the LGBTQ+ training mentioned here and to thank providers for participating in this study.

Ethics statement

De-identified data was provided to the authors. Because this data was de-identified, this study was considered not human subjects research by the Indiana University Institutional Review Board (Protocol #12447).

Disclosure statement

The author Dustin Z. Nowaskie is the Founder and President of OutCare Health, and Anuj U. Patel is on the Board of Directors of OutCare Health.

Data availability statement

The authors report that all relevant data are within the manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

The authors report that there was no funding.