DiversityNursing Blog

It is essential for healthcare to be fair and accessible to all individuals, yet LGBTQ+ individuals often face significant health disparities. These disparities arise from various factors, including societal stigma, discrimination, and a lack of culturally competent care.

As Nurses, we hold a unique position to recognize and address these health inequities, guaranteeing LGBTQ+ patients receive high-quality care they rightfully deserve. In this discussion, we delve into the specific health challenges encountered by LGBTQ+ communities and explore strategies for Nurses to alleviate these disparities.

Understanding Health Disparities in LGBTQ+ Populations

Mental Health: LGBTQ+ individuals are at a higher risk for mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Factors contributing to these issues include societal stigma, discrimination, and lack of social support.

Substance Use: Higher rates of substance use and abuse are observed among LGBTQ+ populations. An estimated 20 to 30% of the LGBTQ+ community abuses substances, compared to about 9% of the general population. This is often a coping mechanism for dealing with discrimination, trauma, and social rejection.

Sexual and Reproductive Health: LGBTQ+ individuals may face challenges in accessing appropriate sexual and reproductive health services. This includes higher rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, particularly among gay and bisexual men and transgender women.

Chronic Diseases: There is a higher prevalence of certain chronic diseases in LGBTQ+ populations, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, and certain cancers. These are often linked to stress, smoking, and other lifestyle factors influenced by minority stress.

Access to Healthcare: LGBTQ+ individuals often experience barriers to healthcare access, including lack of insurance, discrimination by healthcare providers, and fear of disclosing their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Strategies for Nurses to Address and Reduce Health Disparities

Provide Culturally Competent Care

Education and Training: Participate in ongoing education and training focused on LGBTQ+ health disparities and cultural competence. This involves gaining insight into the specific healthcare requirements of LGBTQ+ individuals and honing effective and respectful communication skills.

Inclusive Environment: Establish a warm and inviting atmosphere within your healthcare facility. Showcase symbols of inclusivity, incorporate inclusive language in documentation, and guarantee all team members are well-versed in LGBTQ+ cultural competence.

Enhance Mental Health Support

Screening and Referral: Conduct regular screenings for mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety, and thoughts of self-harm. Connect LGBTQ+ individuals to mental health providers and support services that affirm their identities and experiences.

Peer Support: Foster peer support groups within your healthcare facility or local community. These groups offer a safe and understanding environment for LGBTQ+ individuals to exchange experiences and effective coping mechanisms.

Address Substance Use

Non-Judgmental Approach: Approach discussions surrounding substance use with empathy and understanding. Take into account the underlying factors contributing to substance use and offer compassionate support and access to appropriate treatment resources.

Tailored Interventions: Create and execute substance use interventions that cater to the unique requirements of LGBTQ+ individuals. This entails offering culturally sensitive counseling and support programs tailored to their specific needs.

Improve Sexual and Reproductive Health Services

Comprehensive Care: Provide comprehensive and accessible sexual and reproductive health services to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ individuals. This encompasses offering STI screening, HIV prevention and treatment, as well as inclusive family planning services.

Education and Outreach: Offer education on safe sex practices and sexual health catered to the unique needs of LGBTQ+ patients. Engage in outreach efforts to link individuals with pertinent services and resources, promoting a holistic approach to sexual and reproductive health care.

Promote Chronic Disease Prevention and Management

Regular Screening: Conduct regular screenings for chronic illnesses among LGBTQ+ individuals, focusing on conditions that are commonly seen within this community.

Lifestyle Support: Provide assistance for promoting healthy lifestyle choices, including programs to quit smoking, guidance on nutrition, and techniques for managing stress.

Advocate for Policy Changes

Inclusive Policies: Advocate for the establishment of inclusive policies in healthcare environments, ensuring these policies explicitly encompass and protect individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.

Access to Care: Push for enhanced healthcare access for LGBTQ+ individuals by advocating for inclusive insurance coverage, expanding healthcare services, and dismantling barriers to care. 

Addressing health disparities in LGBTQ+ populations requires a multifaceted approach that includes education, compassionate care, and advocacy. By understanding the unique challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals and implementing targeted strategies, Nurses can play a crucial role in reducing these disparities and improving health outcomes. Our commitment to equity and inclusivity in healthcare can make a profound difference in the lives of LGBTQ+ patients, fostering a system where everyone receives the care and respect they deserve.

As Nurses, we have the responsibility and the opportunity to lead the way in creating a more equitable healthcare system. By embracing these strategies, we can ensure our care is inclusive, compassionate, and effective for all patients, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Nurses must always be prepared to care for patients from all backgrounds, including the LGBTQ+ community. Caring for the LGBTQ+ community requires an educated, compassionate, and inclusive approach. As Nurses, we ensure every patient receives the most personalized and competent care possible. Here are some tips to help you provide better care to the LGBTQ+ community.

Create a Welcoming, Warm, and Inclusive Environment

A crucial aspect of caring for the LGBTQ+ population is creating a warm, welcoming, and inclusive environment. When people feel like they are being cared for without bias or judgment, they are more likely to seek preventative and immediate care. Healthcare professionals should educate themselves on LGBTQ+ terminology so that each patient can feel understood and respected.

Expand your Knowledge of the LGBTQ+ Community

Nurses must keep updated with training, reading, and learning from others on any healthcare topic. To provide better care to the LGBTQ+ community, educate yourself on current LGBTQ+ subjects such as sexual orientation and gender identity. Consider seeking a continuing education credit from a reputable source like lgbtqiahealtheducation.org/.

Use Inclusive Language

Not all people identify with their biological sex. Using inclusive language within the LGBTQ+ community is one of the most essential aspects of providing competent, patient-centered care. When caring for the LGBTQ+ community, use language like “currently nursing’ instead of ‘nursing mother’ or ‘menstruating person’ instead of ‘menstruating mother.’ These slight variations in how we speak to and about patients who identify in the LGBTQ+ spectrum can make all the difference in how we provide care. It is essential to address and approach each patient interaction with a nonjudgmental attitude and an open mind so that each patient can feel welcome and understood.

Use Correct Pronouns

Pronouns are incredibly important when addressing patients within the LGBTQ+ community. Feel free to ask your patient what their preferred pronouns are to ensure you are addressing them in a way they want to be addressed. Asking patients about their preferred pronouns and abiding by their requests shows respect. It signifies you are aware that not every person identifies with pronouns associated with their biological sex.

Familiarize Yourself with LGBTQ+ Health Disparities

It is important to build awareness around the specific health problems that affect the LGBTQ+ community so we can do our part in bridging healthcare gaps. Unfortunately, LGBTQ+ people experience higher rates of sexually transmitted infections, drug and alcohol abuse, anxiety, depression, suicide, cancer, violence, or bullying. Nurses should continually strive to further their educational knowledge of health disparities and interventions to make healthcare more accessible to the LGBTQ+ population.

Show Respect and Establish Trust

LGBTQ+ patients deserve the same respect as any other patient. For some LGBTQ+ patients, it can take a lot to seek care and disclose personal information about their lives. Many patients may feel judged if they reveal intimate details about their lives, so we must create a warm, judgment-free environment to collect all the information we need to provide the most competent care possible. Building a trusting nurse-patient relationship can help reduce health disparities and improve patient outcomes.

Conclusion

As Nurses, we are responsible for modifying how we provide healthcare and creating individualized care plans so every patient can feel comfortable in the healthcare setting regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. All any patient wants is to feel heard, validated, and respected when seeking medical care, and it is our job to do our part and remain educated on the specific needs of the LGBTQ+ community.

LGBTQ+ Pride month is celebrated every June in honor of the 1969 Stonewall riots, and works to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Americans.

Pride month celebrations include parades, parties, concerts, educational events and speeches. Memorials are also held to honor members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS.

Hospitals around the nation are taking this opportunity to show their support. 

The Downtown Somerville Alliance joined with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital/Somerset and the Babs Siperstein Proud Center unveiled a 75-foot mural to celebrate influential figures in the LGBTQ+ community. 

The installation features icons like Harvey Bernard Milk, state icons like Christian Fuscarino of Garden State Equality, local icons like LGBTQ+ rights attorney Frank Morano of Bound Brook and many more.

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children's Hospital of New Jersey, held a flag raising ceremony. President and CEO Darrell Terry Sr. said, "This month we are proud to raise the LGBTQ+ flag and to raise awareness about the disparities that impact this community."

The following flags will be on display in one of the hospital's main corridors throughout the month of June: Transgender Pride Flag, Philadelphia People of Color Flag, Gender Fluid Pride Flag, Intersex Pride Flag, Coexist Flag, Progress Pride Flag, Ally Flag, Pansexual Pride Flag, Nonbinary Pride Flag, Equality Pride Flag, and the Bisexual Pride Flag.

The University of Kansas Medical Center is hosting a Biographical Posters event where you can learn about the background and careers of several LGBTQIA+ community members as well as their journey to KU Medical Center. Spotlights will be shared via social media and the diversity intranet site. Digital posters can be seen here.

Johns Hopkins Medicine is hosting discussion panels, workshops, film screenings and listening sessions covering important LGBTQ+ topics.

As well as hosting educational awareness programs, UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine are handing out “Ask me about my pronouns”, “LGTQ Ally” and other pins and badges with information on LGBTQ Health Disparities.

More than half of patients in the LGBTQ community report having faced discrimination in a healthcare setting. In order to improve LGBTQ+ care, hospitals must become allies for this community and combat any discrimination.