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Advancing health equity for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people through sexual health education and LGBT-affirming health care environments
Alex S. Keuroghlian A B C , Kevin L. Ard A B and Harvey J. Makadon A B
A The National LGBT Health Education Center at The Fenway Institute, 1340 Boylston Street, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
B Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
C Corresponding author. Email: akeuroghlian@fenwayhealth.org [mailto:akeuroghlian@fenwayhealth.org]
Sexual Health 14(1) 119-122 http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/SH16145
Submitted: 18 July 2016 Accepted: 9 January 2017 Published: 6 February 2017
Abstract
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people face pervasive health disparities and barriers to high-quality care. Adequate LGBT sexual health education for emerging health professionals is currently lacking. Clinical training programs and healthcare organisations are well poised to start addressing these disparities and affirming LGBT patients through curricula designed to cultivate core competencies in LBGT health as well as health care environments that welcome, include and protect LGBT patients, students and staff. Health education programs can emphasise mastery of basic LGBT concepts and terminology, as well as openness towards and acceptance of LGBT people. Core concepts, language and positive attitudes can be instilled alongside clinical skill in delivering inclusive sexual health care, through novel educational strategies and paradigms for clinical implementation. Caring for the health needs of LGBT patients also involves the creation of health care settings that affirm LGBT communities in a manner that is responsive to culturally specific needs, sensitivities and challenges that vary across the globe.
Despite recent advances in the recognition of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, with data demonstrating a rapid increase in the acceptance of LGBT people1 [#R1],2 [#R2] and attainment of equality in many sectors,3 [#R3] education on LGBT health needs for health professionals still lags greatly.4 [#R4],5 [#R5] As recently as a decade ago there were no standard texts that included information about care for LGBT people, and numerous studies and reviews of health issues have documented a continued gap in health care education.4 [#R4]-7 [#R7] A study of LGBT topics in medical education published in 2011 showed a median of 5 h of education in both the US and Canada.8 [#R8] It is not surprising that despite demonstration of health disparities experienced by...