First, do no harm
Are LGBTQ+ patients at risk for harm when being treated within the health care system?
This is an urgent question for LGBTQ+ patients, their families and health care providers. Studies show that barriers to communication and a lack of psychological safety present risks to patient safety, increasing the likelihood that individuals will not receive appropriate healthcare, with negative consequences for their health and well-being. Patient discomfort in communicating with providers, for instance, increases such safety risks as missed screenings, misdiagnoses, and a lack of appropriate prevention interventions.
Unfortunately, studies suggest that LGBTQ+ patients frequently experience negative and discriminatory treatment from doctors and other health care providers, making them less likely to feel safe disclosing private health information that is vital to ensuring their safety and quality of care. In a recent survey, 37% of individuals identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual or queer reported that they had experienced some form of negative and/or discriminatory treatment from a provider in the past year, while 59% of transgender persons reported such mistreatment.
Not surprisingly, these negative experiences have consequences for members of the LGBTQ+ community, many of whom put off going to the doctor to avoid potential mistreatment and/or fail to disclose information pertinent to their health and well-being because they don't feel safe doing so.
So, what are some steps that can be taken to open lines of communication and remove barriers to psychological safety so that members of the LGBTQ+ community have access to the quality of care they need and deserve?
There are a number of steps health care leaders committed to patient safety can take to decrease the risk of harm to LGBTQ+ persons, including establishing systems for collecting accurate data on patients' sexual orientation, gender identity, and biological sex characteristics and providing training for providers to increase their cultural competency and enable them to treat LGBTQ+ patients with dignity and respect.
Read more about current risks to LGBTQ+ patient safety and the steps that can be taken to decrease risk and improve the care provided to LGBTQ+ individuals in the health care system.
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References:
Wesley, C., et al. (February 1, 2023). Patient Safety Concerns and the LGBTQ+ Population. PSNet. file:///Users/kathleenclark/Downloads/Patient%20Safety%20Concerns%20and%20the%20LGBTQ+%20Population%20(1).pdf
