The LGBTQ community and health care
Health care is becoming increasingly sensitive to the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community. Several trusted medical associations have issued important guidance to care providers and hospitals as more people become aware of LGBTQ+ issues.
In the early 1980s, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued its first guidance on treating sexual minorities. It has revised and updated its guidance to care providers every decade since. Today, the AAP urges pediatricians and specialists caring for children and youth to:
- Create doctor’s offices that are friendly to sexual minority youth.
- Use non-biased language and create a safe environment for LGBTQ+ patients.
- Encourage respectful, open communication between care providers and patients. This increases the likelihood that patients will share important physical, sexual, and mental health information and history throughout their illness journey and improves the quality of care.
- Address the full range of health conditions and needs experienced by LGBTQ+ children and youth.
The Joint Commission, a health care accreditation organization in the United States, has also issued guidance urging hospitals to create more welcoming, patient-centered environments for LGBTQ+ patients. Specifically, this guidance urges care providers to deliver the same patient-centered care to LGBTQ+ patients that is the gold standard for the treatment of all patients. This includes care delivered with compassion, empathy, and responsiveness to the needs, values, and expressed preferences of each patient.
In response to this guidance and growing public discourse on LGBTQ+ rights and concerns, many hospitals have established policies on caring for LGBTQ+ patients. Many facilities also provide training for staff on LGBTQ+ patient needs and rights. Families and survivors should ask about these policies as they examine their options for treatment facilities.