LOUISIANA STATE MEDICAL SOCIETY
AM 2024 DESTIN
HOUSE OF DELEGATES
RESOLUTION 401
Inclusion of LGBTQIA+ Standardized Patients in the Preclinical Years
SUBJECT:
Medical Student Section
INTRODUCED BY:
WHEREAS, disparities exist in healthcare access and outcomes between the LGBTQIA+ community and the general population 1,2, ; and
WHEREAS, inadequate physician training serves to reinforce existing disparities and prevent patients from seeking needed care 1,2,3. ; and
WHEREAS, LGBTQIA+ patients are more likely to have better access to preventive care, and improved management of mental health conditions when receiving care from an LGBTQIA+ affirming provider 2 ; and
WHEREAS, current Louisiana State Medical Society (LSMS) policy 160.05 supports education to increase in awareness regarding LGBTQIA+ health specific issues, emphasizing the need to integrate LGBTQIA+ communication skills so inclusive histories and interactions become part of everyday practice 4,5 ; and WHEREAS, the benefits of using standardized patients that identify or portray members of the LGBTQIA+ community provide exposure to clinical scenarios that may not be experienced in clinical rotations as well as offer a consistent patient experience that allows for immediate feedback within a supportive environment 6 ; and WHEREAS, participant in an introductory LGBTQIA+ standardized patient module found the training should be fully integrated as a required training to the core curriculum (80%) and expressed the importance of the material and need for more interdisciplinary simulations (100%) 7 ; and WHEREAS, there is a desire among medical school standardized patient programs to increase gender diversity within their standardized patient pool or to incorporate standardized patient cases that portray gender minorities 8 ; and
WHEREAS, medical school standardized patient encounters rarely include LGBTQIA+ patients 9 ; and
WHEREAS, medical students and residents report feeling uncomfortable taking a sexual history and implementing management of sexual issues with LGBTQIA+ patients, emphasizing gaps in preparedness, confidence, and education 10,11 ; and WHEREAS, in a study of medical students obtaining health histories from standardized patients, it was observed that students in 85.3% of encounters made inaccurate assumptions regarding patients’ sexual orientation, sex assigned at birth, or gender identity 4 ; and
WHEREAS, gender education prepares student physicians to comprehend topics related to LGBTQIA+ health and gender including both social and medical hardships 12 ; and
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