The State of LGBT+ Health Education: A Systematic Review of LGBT+ Curricula and Resources at M.D. Granting Institutions in the United States

Authors' Affiliations

Stephen "Alex" Crockett, Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN. Dr. Abbey Mann, Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN.

Faculty Sponsor’s Department

Family Medicine

Classification of First Author

Medical Student

Type

Oral Competitive

Project's Category

Health of Underserved Populations

Abstract or Artist's Statement

LGBT+ patients, medical students, and healthcare providers have been shown to experience significant health disparities and poor health outcomes, to less frequently seek out healthcare, and to often face discrimination in healthcare settings. Researchers suggest the lack of high quality and in-depth training on LGBT+ health and communication skills may contribute to hostile clinic cultures and reinforce implicit and explicit biases towards LGBT+ patients. Despite the growing body of research and interest in curriculum reforms, there has not been an up to date, comprehensive review of LGBT+ health trainings and resources at U.S. medical schools since 2015. We conducted a systematic review of available information on the presence of LGBT+ trainings, support groups, and resources for medical students, residents, and faculty at all M.D.-granting institutions who are part of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The systematic review was conducted between May and September 2020 through Google using pre-determined keyword search strategies. Collected information included type of programming, targeted audience, and length of training among others that was built into an easily accessible online database of LGBT+ health curriculums and resources. Similar to 2015, most U.S. medical schools (52%) do not have or do not provide easily accessible information about LGBT+ trainings for their students. Even fewer medical schools (39%) report that they require their students to take some form of LGBT+ health training, and almost no information is easily available on LGBT+ trainings for residents and medical school faculty. Our findings suggest that medical schools have made some progress in creating more inclusive curricula and training environments compared to 2015. However, there has not been a consensus in how medical students should be trained to be more aware of and to address biases, discrimination, and poor health outcomes affecting their LGBTQ+ patients and colleagues.

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The State of LGBT+ Health Education: A Systematic Review of LGBT+ Curricula and Resources at M.D. Granting Institutions in the United States

LGBT+ patients, medical students, and healthcare providers have been shown to experience significant health disparities and poor health outcomes, to less frequently seek out healthcare, and to often face discrimination in healthcare settings. Researchers suggest the lack of high quality and in-depth training on LGBT+ health and communication skills may contribute to hostile clinic cultures and reinforce implicit and explicit biases towards LGBT+ patients. Despite the growing body of research and interest in curriculum reforms, there has not been an up to date, comprehensive review of LGBT+ health trainings and resources at U.S. medical schools since 2015. We conducted a systematic review of available information on the presence of LGBT+ trainings, support groups, and resources for medical students, residents, and faculty at all M.D.-granting institutions who are part of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The systematic review was conducted between May and September 2020 through Google using pre-determined keyword search strategies. Collected information included type of programming, targeted audience, and length of training among others that was built into an easily accessible online database of LGBT+ health curriculums and resources. Similar to 2015, most U.S. medical schools (52%) do not have or do not provide easily accessible information about LGBT+ trainings for their students. Even fewer medical schools (39%) report that they require their students to take some form of LGBT+ health training, and almost no information is easily available on LGBT+ trainings for residents and medical school faculty. Our findings suggest that medical schools have made some progress in creating more inclusive curricula and training environments compared to 2015. However, there has not been a consensus in how medical students should be trained to be more aware of and to address biases, discrimination, and poor health outcomes affecting their LGBTQ+ patients and colleagues.

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