Medical Students' Awareness of Health Issues, Attitudes, and Confidence About Caring for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Patients: a Cross-sectional Survey

Overview

Journal BMC Med Educ

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Medical Education

Date 2021 Jan 15

PMID 33446197

Citations 29

Authors

Sophie Arthur

Abigail Jamieson

Harry Cross

Kate Nambiar

Carrie D Llewellyn

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) patients have an increased incidence of a range of health problems, and face many barriers to accessing healthcare. Our research aimed to explore the awareness of health issues and attitudes of medical students towards LGBT patients' health including barriers to health services, their attitudes towards inclusion of LGBT content in the curriculum and their confidence with providing care for their LGBT patients in the future.

Methods: Medical students were recruited to take part in a cross-sectional survey. We used a 28-item survey to explore views about the undergraduate medical curriculum.

Results: 252 surveys were analysed from 776 eligible participants. Attitudes towards LGBT patients were positive but awareness and confidence with respect to LGBT patients were variable. Confidence discussing sexual orientation with a patient significantly increased with year of study but confidence discussing patient gender identity did not. The majority of participants (n = 160; 69%) had not received specific training on LGBT health needs, and 85% (n = 197) wanted to receive more training.

Conclusions: Increasing the amount of LGBT teaching in undergraduate medical curricula could help to increase the quality of doctor-patient interactions, to facilitate patients' disclosure of sexual orientation and gender identity in healthcare and increase the quality of healthcare.

Citing Articles

Patient voices and student insights into LGBTQ+ healthcare: a call for equitable healthcare through medical education.

Fu M, Onanuga S, Ye X, Aiyappan R, Zou T, Smith S Med Educ Online. 2024; 29(1):2405484.

PMID: 39288298 PMC: 11409410. DOI: 10.1080/10872981.2024.2405484.

Medical student clinical cultural awareness in cancer care of sexual gender minority patients.

Au C, Samuelson A, Perez-Morales J, Schabath M, Mitchell E Patient Educ Couns. 2024; 129:108395.

PMID: 39182417 PMC: 11426314. DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2024.108395.

Military Family Physicians' Readiness to Provide Gender-Affirming Care: A Serial Cross-Sectional Study.

Domalaon K, Parsons A, Thornton J, Do K, Roberts C, Schvey N J Prim Care Community Health. 2024; 15:21501319241264193.

PMID: 39129425 PMC: 11320690. DOI: 10.1177/21501319241264193.

Qualitative exploration of uterine cancer care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ+) patients in the UK: shifting from equality to equity.

Millet N, Barnes R, Darko N, Moss E BMJ Open. 2024; 14(8):e084720.

PMID: 39097318 PMC: 11298749. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-084720.

Nursing students' knowledge and attitudes on sexually transmitted infections prevention at training institution in Namibia.

Hamunyela L, Niikondo H, Nakweenda M Health SA. 2024; 29:2483.

PMID: 38445043 PMC: 10913170. DOI: 10.4102/hsag.v29i0.2483.

References

Hafeez H, Zeshan M, Tahir M, Jahan N, Naveed S . Health Care Disparities Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth: A Literature Review. Cureus. 2017; 9(4):e1184. PMC: 5478215. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.1184. View

Dubin S, Nolan I, Streed Jr C, Greene R, Radix A, Morrison S . Transgender health care: improving medical students' and residents' training and awareness. Adv Med Educ Pract. 2018; 9:377-391. PMC: 5967378. DOI: 10.2147/AMEP.S147183. View

Mepham N, Bouman W, Arcelus J, Hayter M, Wylie K . People with gender dysphoria who self-prescribe cross-sex hormones: prevalence, sources, and side effects knowledge. J Sex Med. 2014; 11(12):2995-3001. DOI: 10.1111/jsm.12691. View

Solotke M, Sitkin N, Schwartz M, Encandela J . Twelve tips for incorporating and teaching sexual and gender minority health in medical school curricula. Med Teach. 2017; 41(2):141-146. DOI: 10.1080/0142159X.2017.1407867. View

Obedin-Maliver J, Goldsmith E, Stewart L, White W, Tran E, Brenman S . Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender-related content in undergraduate medical education. JAMA. 2011; 306(9):971-7. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2011.1255. View

Sanchez N, Rabatin J, Sanchez J, Hubbard S, Kalet A . Medical students' ability to care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered patients. Fam Med. 2005; 38(1):21-7. View

Banwari G, Mistry K, Soni A, Parikh N, Gandhi H . Medical students and interns' knowledge about and attitude towards homosexuality. J Postgrad Med. 2015; 61(2):95-100. PMC: 4943442. DOI: 10.4103/0022-3859.153103. View

Parameshwaran V, Cockbain B, Hillyard M, Price J . Is the Lack of Specific Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) Health Care Education in Medical School a Cause for Concern? Evidence From a Survey of Knowledge and Practice Among UK Medical Students. J Homosex. 2016; 64(3):367-381. DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2016.1190218. View

Meyer I . Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychol Bull. 2003; 129(5):674-697. PMC: 2072932. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.129.5.674. View

10.

Kann L, Olsen E, McManus T, Harris W, Shanklin S, Flint K . Sexual Identity, Sex of Sexual Contacts, and Health-Related Behaviors Among Students in Grades 9-12 - United States and Selected Sites, 2015. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2016; 65(9):1-202. DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.ss6509a1. View

11.

Kelley L, Chou C, Dibble S, Robertson P . A critical intervention in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender health: knowledge and attitude outcomes among second-year medical students. Teach Learn Med. 2008; 20(3):248-53. DOI: 10.1080/10401330802199567. View

12.

Hunt L, Vennat M, Waters J . Health and Wellness for LGBTQ. Adv Pediatr. 2018; 65(1):41-54. DOI: 10.1016/j.yapd.2018.04.002. View

13.

Joseph A, Cliffe C, Hillyard M, Majeed A . Gender identity and the management of the transgender patient: a guide for non-specialists. J R Soc Med. 2017; 110(4):144-152. PMC: 5407520. DOI: 10.1177/0141076817696054. View

14.

Albuquerque G, Garcia C, Quirino G, Alves M, Belem J, Figueiredo F . Access to health services by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons: systematic literature review. BMC Int Health Hum Rights. 2016; 16:2. PMC: 4714514. DOI: 10.1186/s12914-015-0072-9. View

15.

Hughes E, Rawlings V, McDermott E . Mental Health Staff Perceptions and Practice Regarding Self-Harm, Suicidality and Help-Seeking in LGBTQ Youth: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Survey in the UK. Issues Ment Health Nurs. 2018; 39(1):30-36. DOI: 10.1080/01612840.2017.1398284. View

16.

Elliott M, Kanouse D, Burkhart Q, Abel G, Lyratzopoulos G, Beckett M . Sexual minorities in England have poorer health and worse health care experiences: a national survey. J Gen Intern Med. 2014; 30(1):9-16. PMC: 4284269. DOI: 10.1007/s11606-014-2905-y. View

17.

Goldhammer H, Maston E, Kissock L, Davis J, Keuroghlian A . National Findings from an LGBT Healthcare Organizational Needs Assessment. LGBT Health. 2018; 5(8):461-468. DOI: 10.1089/lgbt.2018.0118. View

18.

Greene M, France K, Kreider E, Wolfe-Roubatis E, Chen K, Wu A . Comparing medical, dental, and nursing students' preparedness to address lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer health. PLoS One. 2018; 13(9):e0204104. PMC: 6147466. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204104. View

19.

Sekoni A, Gale N, Manga-Atangana B, Bhadhuri A, Jolly K . The effects of educational curricula and training on LGBT-specific health issues for healthcare students and professionals: a mixed-method systematic review. J Int AIDS Soc. 2017; 20(1):21624. PMC: 5577719. DOI: 10.7448/IAS.20.1.21624. View