LGBT+ Health Teaching within the Undergraduate Medical Curriculum

Jessica Salkind, Faye Gishen, Ginger Drage, Jayne Kavanagh and Henry W. W. Potts
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Jessica Salkind: Department, University College London Medical School, London WC1E 6JL, UK
Faye Gishen: Department, University College London Medical School, London WC1E 6JL, UK
Ginger Drage: Groundwork London, London SE1 7QZ, UK
Jayne Kavanagh: Department, University College London Medical School, London WC1E 6JL, UK
Henry W. W. Potts: UCL Institute of Health Informatics, London NW1 2DA, UK

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 13, 1-9

Abstract: Introduction: The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT+) population experience health and social inequalities, including discrimination within healthcare services. There is a growing international awareness of the importance of providing healthcare professionals and students with dedicated training on LGBT+ health. Methods: We introduced a compulsory teaching programme in a large London-based medical school, including a visit from a transgender patient. Feedback was collected across four years, before (n = 433) and after (n = 541) the session. Student confidence in using appropriate terminology and performing a clinical assessment on LGBT+ people was assessed with five-point Likert scales. Fisher exact tests were used to compare the proportion responding “agree” or “strongly agree”. Results: Of the students, 95% (CI 93–97%) found the teaching useful with 97% (96–99%) finding the visitor’s input helpful. Confidence using appropriate terminology to describe sexual orientation increased from 62% (58–67%) to 93% (91–95%) (Fisher p < 0.001) and gender identity from 41% (36–46%) to 91% (88–93%) ( p < 0.001). Confidence in the clinical assessment of a lesbian, gay or bisexual patient increased from 75% (71–79%) to 93% (90–95%) ( p < 0.001), and of a transgender patient from 35% (31–40%) to 84% (80–87%) ( p < 0.001). Discussion: This teaching programme, written and delivered in collaboration with the LGBT+ community, increases students’ confidence in using appropriate language related to sexual orientation and gender identity, and in the clinical assessment of LGBT+ patients.

Keywords: LGBT; gay; lesbian; transgender; undergraduate medical education; decolonizing the curriculum; medical education; curriculum development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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