An Education Intervention in Gastrointestinal Healthcare Workers Improves Knowledge of Sexual and Gender Minority Digestive Health
摘要
Sexual and gender minority (SGM) communities experience barriers in accessing healthcare. While literature exists in remedying SGM-related knowledge deficits in primary care, none exists for gastroenterology specialists.
AimsWe detail a two-site experience with a focused education intervention for gastrointestinal healthcare workers on SGM digestive health.
MethodsGastroenterology and hepatology physicians, nurses, trainees, and staff at two academic medical centers participated. A 10-question pre-test and Likert scale questions on confidence in caring for sexual and gender minority patients were given. Participants then attended a lecture about SGM digestive health. After, they completed a post-test and 6-month follow-up assessment. Pre- and post-test averages of correct answers were compared to assess objective knowledge acquisition and identify gaps in knowledge.
ResultsOf 368 eligible participants, 143 (39.0%) completed the pre-test, 79 completed the post-test, and 93 completed 6-month follow-up. Pre-test average correct responses were 61%, while post-test correct responses increased to 70% (p < 0.001). At 6-month follow-up, average percent correct was 66% (p = 0.027 compared to pre-test). Confidence caring for SGM patients improved from 3.62 to 3.99. (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree; p = .033). This persisted at 6 months (average 4.07, p = .007).
ConclusionsA lecture-based intervention results in significant and sustained improvement in confidence and knowledge surrounding digestive healthcare in SGM patients. This can be used as a starting point for curricular development at all medical education levels. Doing so may allow for more culturally inclusive care to be provided to SGM communities and foster cultural humility.