nclusivity (rainbow or transgender flags, queer publications, literature or posters that feature LGBQ and gender-non conforming people).
· Ensure that your registration/intake forms ask for name used (distinct from administrative/legal name), gender identity (distinct from administrative/legal sex), and gender pronouns.
· Update your family history forms with inclusive language (parent/guardian instead of mother/father; spouse/significant other instead of husband/wife).
· Update signage on men's and women's restrooms as gender-neutral or all-gender.
If you are ready to take the next step in becoming more comfortable with providing inclusive, affirming care, there are many excellent resources and trainings available for primary care providers, including pediatricians, OB-GYNs, family medicine doctors, internal medicine doctors, and NPs and PAs. Some of my favorite resources include UCSF’s Transgender Care Guidelines (available at https://transcare.ucsf.edu/guidelines), Fenway Health (with web-based resources available at Fenway Health and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, or WPATH. Great resources for families can be found at the National Center for Transgender Equality.
Why does this matter? It matters because we – the US Health Care System and we humans who work within it – are not only doing a bad job of taking care of our LGBTQI2S+ communities, but we are actually causing harm to them.
As Osteopathic physicians, we adhere to the oath to “be mindful always of my great responsibility to preserve the health and the life of my patients, to retain their confidence and respect both as a physician and a friend who will guard their secrets with scrupulous honor and fidelity….” Providing inclusive and affirming health care is an important aspect of our responsibility to our patients.
References:
3 Trevor Project, National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2021.