Storytelling to improve healthcare worker understanding, beliefs, and practices related to LGBTQ + patients: A program evaluation

Amanda Long, Jacky Jennings, Kehinde Bademosi, Aruna Chandran, Simone Sawyer, Christina Schumacher, Adena Greenbaum and Errol L. Fields

Evaluation and Program Planning, 2022, vol. 90, issue C

Abstract: LGBTQ + persons experience significant health inequities and medical distrust resulting from anti-LGBTQ + bias or cultural incompetence from health care workers (HCW). This program evaluation examined whether storytelling events where LGBTQ + persons shared personal and patient experiences changed HCW understanding, beliefs, and practices related to LGBTQ + patients. Five storytelling events, held biannually in Baltimore, Maryland from 2016 to 2018, were evaluated using post-event surveys, written reflections/notes during the event, and a survey of HCW in a citywide care collaborative focused on HIV prevention and treatment for LGBTQ + persons that did and did not attend a storytelling event. We analyzed surveys to measure differences in understanding, beliefs and practices and used thematic qualitative analysis of written reflections/notes from the storytelling events. 416 persons attended storytelling events; 124(30 %) completed post-event surveys and 449 written reflections/notes were collected. 56 HCW completed post-event surveys; 49(87.5 %) strongly agreed/agreed they better understood LGBTQ + patients. Emergent themes from the 43 HCW written reflections/notes included improved understanding and new approaches for engaging LGBTQ + patients. Among HCW survey respondents (n = 111), attending an event was associated with significant differences in beliefs (p = 0.024) and practices (p = 0.000) related to LGBTQ + patients. Storytelling events may serve as effective tools for increasing HCW’s understanding, beliefs and practices. This strategy may ultimately help decrease anti-LGBTQ + bias, reduce medical distrust and lower barriers to HIV prevention/treatment for LGBTQ + persons.

Keywords: Medical distrust; Cultural competence; Implicit bias; LGBTQ; Health equity; Health disparities; Health care worker (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:epplan:v:90:y:2022:i:c:s0149718921000744

DOI: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2021.101979

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