278506
Finding the perfect doctor: Identifying LGBT-competent healthcare providers
Monday, November 4, 2013
: 12:30 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Lucinda Leung, MD, MPH,
Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Allison Diamant, MD, MSHS,
Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Background: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) individuals face significant barriers to receiving equitable health care. Our objectives were to determine whether and what systems are in place at academic medical centers to identify LGBT-competent primary care providers and if LGBT-competency training exists. Methods: We conducted a systematic survey of 138 LCME-accredited U.S. medical schools, and 51% participated. We assessed the existence of policies to identify LGBT-competent providers and LGBT-competency training, and their association with institutional characteristics including region, public vs. private school, and the presence of an LGBT Center of Excellence (CoE) in the same state. We performed univariate and bivariate analyses, and constructed a logistic regression model. Results: Ninety-one percent of institutions do not have a procedure in place to identify LGBT-competent providers and only 16% have comprehensive LGBT-competency training. Nevertheless, 80% of the participating institutions indicated an interest to do more to address these issues. Private schools were significantly more likely to have policies in place when compared to public schools; additionally, medical schools with an LGBT CoE in the same state were significantly more likely to have LGBT-competency training. Conclusions: This is the first study to identify the existence and systematically categorize the policies and programs that U.S. medical institutions have in place to train and identify LGBT-competent providers. The vast majority of academic medical centers do not have policies or programs in place to address these issues. The lack of training and identification of LGBT-competent providers may be contributing to inequitable access.
Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Public health or related research
Learning Objectives:
Explain whether and what systems exist at academic medical institutions to identify LGBT-competent primary care providers.
Describe if LGBT-competency training exists for providers at U.S. academic medical institutions.
Keyword(s): Training, Gay
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a Professor in General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Affiliate Faculty at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. I am the Principal Investigator for the research being presented and have overseen all aspects of the research and analysis.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
