Here is an interesting article by the New York Times related to doctors and the L.G.B.T. Community
“Medical Schools Neglect Gay and Gender Issues”
Main Points
- “When it comes to caring for patients who were transgender, we [Doctors] are lost.”
- Medical students receive little training on how to approach the L.G.B.T. issue.
- L.G.B.T. patients tend to be more isolated and have higher rates of chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure. And because of the discrimination they face and fear, many also have difficulty gaining access to care and thus face an increased risk of suicide, substance abuse and unaddressed domestic violence. Just “seeing the doctor” can be fraught with tension, as it entails coming out to one’s physician.
- Patients need to feel that they can tell their doctor they are gay and that their doctor will accept them
- More than a quarter medical students characterized what their school taught in regards to L.G.B.T. patients as “poor” or “very poor,” and almost half called their offerings only “fair.”
- Due to this honest review of school teachings regarding L.G.B.T., hopefully schools might already be making plans to improve what they teach
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