Health Equity for LGBTQIA+ and Gender-Affirming Care

Healing Medicine itself:  Health Equity for LGBTQIA+ and Gender-Affirming Care

Physician, heal thyself
A critically important task for Medicine and Health Equity is recognizing the individual needs of each patient - including provision of Gender Affirming Care.

Extensive research has shown the increased risk of suffering, emotional distress and physical illness for the LGBTQIA community.

Medicine has contributed to the stigma and suffering of the LGBTQIA community in many ways including pathologizing sexual orientation (until 1973, psychiatry labeled homosexuality as a disease), failing to provide respectful and accepting care, and failing to train doctors and healthcare providers how to meet individual patient needs.

THEN is committed to taking action to ensure respectful treatment of all

Research about Outcomes of Gender Affirming Care

Tordoff (2022) Mental Health Outcomes in Transgender and Nonbinary Youths Receiving Gender-Affirming Care.  JAMA Network Open.
Transgender and nonbinary (TNB) youths are disproportionately burdened by poor mental health outcomes owing to decreased social support and increased stigma and discrimination.  In a prospective cohort of 104 youth aged 13 to 20 years, receipt of gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers and genderaffirming hormones, was associated with 60%lower odds of moderate or severe depression and 73% lower odds of suicidality.

Medical Training to Improve Care for LGBTQIA+ Individuals

Implementing Curricular and Institutional Climate Changes to Improve Health Care for Individuals Who are LGBT, Gender Nonconforming, or Born with DSD: A Resource for Medical Educators (2014) American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC).
      Definition:  DSD means Differences in Sex Development
To reduce the Health Disparities experienced by the LGBTQIA+ community, health care providers must address the specific health care needs of these populations, and health care institutions must support, value, and include people in these populations.  This FREE resource provides
   o   Education about the health needs of LGBTQIA+ persons and the role of academic medicine and the health care system in supporting these populations.
   o   Support for medical schools to integrate this content into medical education, with a focus on the role of institutional climates.
   o   Providing a framework to facilitate the assessment of learners, curricula, and institutions.
   o   Highlighting national resources and curricular innovations within academic medicine.

New Standards for Gender Affirming Care

Transgender and Gender Diverse Health Care:  The Fenway Guide.  (2022) Editors:  Keuroghlian, Potter, Reisner. 
A comprehensive textbook by leading authors for health professionals at all levels and in diverse specialties, outlines best practices and provides practical clinical suggestions - with the overarching goal of achieving health equity.

 
THEN is excited to expand this list of Research and Healing Programs.  If you have a suggestion, please contact THEN.