LGBTQ
Conditions
Keywords
ER Physicians, LGBTQ health, Awareness
Brief summary
Assessing the level of knowledge and awareness regarding the unique medical needs of the LGBTQ+ community among emergency department physicians by distribution of questionnaires to all emergency department physicians (pediatric, OB/GYN, and general-internal medicine and surgery).
Detailed description
Emergency medical teams play a unique role in providing initial care to diverse populations, including marginalized or minority groups. Implicit prejudice can influence the interactions of emergency personnel and contribute to a lack of trust in healthcare providers among some members of the LGBTQ+ community. Previous studies have highlighted a lack of LGBTQ-focused education tailored to the specific needs of emergency department staff, with 83%-85% of such personnel reporting a deficiency in knowledge and practical tools. This lack of training begins during medical school and persists as students advance to residency and internship. Medical students, residents, and fellows have reported significantly lower levels of comfort in taking sexual histories and managing sexual health issues among the LGBTQ population. Moll et al. surveyed 319 emergency medicine residents in the United States. A significant minority of respondents felt that taking a medical history and performing physical examinations were more challenging with gay, lesbian, or bisexual patients (24.6%) and even more so with transgender patients (42.6%). The majority of residents (63%) do not ask patients about their sexual orientation when they present with abdominal pain or genital complaints. Reports of LGBT-phobic and discriminatory comments came from both fellow residents (16.6%) and faculty members (10%). Additionally, 2.5% of respondents felt uncomfortable working alongside other physicians from the LGBTQ community, and 6% did not agree that LGBTQ patients deserve the same quality of care as others. Training healthcare teams provides information and enhances skills, potentially leading to improved quality of care for LGBTQ individuals. Intervention programs report short-term improvements in the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of healthcare students and professionals regarding sexual and LGBTQ-specific healthcare. However, a unified conceptual model for training-covering duration, content, and methodology-has been, and remains, lacking. We aim to Assessing the level of knowledge and awareness regarding the unique medical needs of the LGBTQ+ community among emergency department physicians by distribution of questionnaires to all emergency department physicians (pediatric, OB/GYN, and general-internal medicine and surgery).
Interventions
OTHERDistribution of Questionnaires
Distribution of questionnaires to all emergency department physicians (pediatric, OB/GYN, and general-internal medicine and surgery).
Sponsors
Barzilai Medical Center
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Distribution of questionnaires to all emergency department physicians (pediatric, OB/GYN, and general-internal medicine and surgery).
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 120 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* ER physicians
Exclusion criteria
* None
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Assessing awareness level | 30 days | Assessing the level of knowledge and awareness regarding the unique medical needs of the LGBTQ+ community among emergency department physicians by assessing the extent of physicians' knowledge regarding the unique medical needs of the LGBTQ+ community. Using adjusted questionnaire from previous trials (Moll et al 2018). Range of score 7 (min) to 35 (max). |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Assessing comfort level in anamneses and physical examination | 30 days | Assessing the sense of comfort of physicians to conduct a comprehensive sexual history when appropriate for the reason for the visit; assessing the sense of comfort regarding physical examinations involving the genital area among both the general and LGBTQ+ populations; and assessing physicians' comfort level in working alongside LGBTQ+ colleagues. Using an adjusted questionnaire from previous trials (Moll et al 2018), with a range from 20 (min) to 100 (max). |
Countries
Israel
Contacts
CONTACTDaniel Leshin Carmel, MD
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORDaniel Leshin Carmel, MD
Barziali Medical Center
Outcome results
None listed