LGBTQIA+ Health Resources for Health Professionals

Posted by Nora Barnett on June 20th, 2024 Posted in: Blog
Tags: LGBTQ+, lgbtq+ health

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This week’s post is for healthcare and public health professionals. We’ve curated a collection of resources to help you create affirming healthcare environments and deliver culturally and clinically competent care for LGBTQIA+ individuals.

LGBTQIA+ Health Resources

Searching PubMed for LGBTQIA+ health research
This guide from our colleagues at USC has suggestions for MeSH terms you can use to find articles about LGBTQIA+ populations and health.

Healthcare Equality Index 2024
The Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) 2024, created by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, is a tool that evaluates healthcare facilities on their LGBTQ+ inclusion and equity practices. It examines policies and practices related to non-discrimination, patient services, employee benefits, and community engagement. Nearly 2,400 facilities were assessed, with over 1,000 actively participating. Of these, 384 facilities earned the top “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader” status, while 462 were recognized as “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performers”.

Providing Inclusive Services and Care for LGBT People: A Guide for Health Care Staff 
This guide from the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center highlights the need for inclusive health care for LGBT individuals, who often encounter barriers like poor access, discrimination, and uninformed providers. It includes background information on LGBT people and their health needs; tips and strategies for improving communication and creating a welcoming environment,; and additional information about how to care for LGBT people.

Focus on Forms and Policy: Creating an Inclusive Environment for LGBT Patients 
This guide from the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center offers guidance on creating policies, procedures, and forms that create an inclusive environment for LGBT patients. Includes information on nondiscrimination and employment policy language, collecting data, taking routine sexual histories, language used in registration and medical history forms, training front-line staff, organizational language, and recommended language for family members.

Collecting Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data in Electronic Health Records 
This guide from the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center includes recommended questions, workflows for collecting data, and information on training staff.

Providing Affirmative Care for Patients with Non-binary Gender Identities
This guide from the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center helps healthcare providers in offering an inclusive, affirming experience for people with non-binary gender identities. Includes information on understanding non-binary gender identities, using names and pronouns, barriers to care, case scenarios, and best practices for creating affirming and welcoming environments for non-binary people.

Affirmative Services for Transgender and Gender Diverse People – Best Practices for Frontline Health Care Staff 
This guide from the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center offers best practices and guidance for frontline healthcare staff on effectively serving transgender and gender-diverse patients. It covers topics such as using gender-affirming language, collecting data on sexual orientation and gender identity, and asking for patients’ names and pronouns. Additionally, it includes a quick-reference sheet that can be detached and posted in a workspace for easy access.

Providing LGBTQ-Inclusive Care at Your Pharmacy
This guide from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation helps pharmacists and pharmacy staff provide inclusive and welcoming care for LGBTQ patients. It covers key concepts, healthcare disparities, and practical steps for creating a supportive environment. Topics include staff training, appropriate communication, and community engagement.

Asking Essential Sexual Health Questions
This document from the National Coalition for Sexual Health guides healthcare providers in incorporating sexual health questions into routine medical histories. Designed to be inclusive of various gender identities and sexual orientations, itprovides guidance on asking questions about gender identity and sexual orientation in a respectful and non-judgmental manner. It includes recommendations for discussing sexual health with adolescents and addressing the specific needs of LGBTQ+ individuals.

LGBT Best and Promising Practices Throughout the Cancer Continuum 
This guide from the National LGBT Cancer Network offers best practices for health care providers and public health departments regarding cancer prevention, primary care, diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and palliative care for the LGBTQIA+ population.

Meeting the Needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) Individuals During Disasters and Emergencies
FEMA’s 2020 annual National Preparedness Report identified communities of color, single parents, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people as being at the highest risk for being severely impacted during disasters. The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response page on LGBTQI+ individuals during disasters recommends inclusive practices for emergency planners and shelter providers, such as training staff, ensuring access to gender-appropriate facilities, and safeguarding confidentiality.

NIH Sexual & Gender Minority Research Office (SGMRO)
NIH’s Sexual & Gender Minority Research Office (SGMRO) coordinates sexual and gender minority (SGM)–related research and activities within the NIH. Their page includes a list of events, such as webinars and symposiums; reports; and resources, including a resource on gender pronouns in the workplace and a training on culturally-competent gender related language.

• • From SGMRO for June 2024:
    • SGMRO Scientific Webinar Series Pride Edition: Special Panel on Cancer Research Involving SGM Populations (Co-hosted by NCI and EDI) This special Pride edition of the SGMRO SWS will highlight cancer research being conducted by three investigators specific to SGM populations. Topics covered include cancer screening among indigenous SGM people, cancer among young SGM adolescent populations, and community based interventions for cancer specific to BIPOC SGM people. After these lectures, a panel discussion will be moderated by Dr. Sarah Jackson, an NIH IRP investigator who conducts cancer research on transgender populations.
    • NIH SGMRO Report Release In honor of Pride Month, SGMRO will be releasing the SGMRO FY 2023 Annual Report, highlighting SGM research-related activities at the NIH.

The HHS LGBTQI+ Health & Well-being Hub

• Reports and data on LGBTQI+ health
• Information on access to healthcare
• Resources for developing cultural competency, the SOCI Data Action Plan, anti-bullying efforts, supporting LGBTQIA elders, and more

Select Continuing Education Related to LGBTQIA+ Health

• CHES and CNE from NNLM: LGBTQIA+ Health Information & Resources (Moodle)
  This course, available via Moodle, offers both CHES and CNE credit. The class aims to provide culturally appropriate health information and resources for LGBTQIA+ populations and the librarians and health care practitioners who support them.

• CME from The Fenway Institute: LGBTQIA+ Health Education
  These free courses offer 1 CME each and help providers and care teams better understand how to advance health equity for LGBTQIA+ people and communities, address and eliminate health disparities, optimize access to cost-effective health care, and improve the length and quality of life for LGBTQIA+ persons. + people.

• LGBTQ+ Health Trainings from VHA
  Veteran’s Health Administration offers many trainings, most of which are 15 minutes long, for community providers who work with LGBTQ+ Veterans and anyone who is interested. Trainings are available free of cost.