LGBTQ Health Disparities
As a health professional, I can provide quality care to the LGBTQ population by being culturally competent. I should be aware of my behaviors and beliefs and how they affect patients from that community. Many biases against the LGBTQ people can be a damper on the provision of quality care to the group. The LGBTQ bias which I have observed in my healthcare workplace is that lesbians and gays cannot be religious. Two gay patients have explained to me their uncomfortable feeling when interacting with the practitioners who questioned their religious affiliations. Many religious groups see same-sex relations as adversarial to the holy scriptures. Nevertheless, the individuals told me that they identified themselves as Christians.
I should take several measures when initiating a dialogue with the LGBTQ client. I should use a gender-neutral language to avoid applying labels that can offend the person. One should use clear and accurate words that are free from prejudicial connotation or bias (American Psychological Association, 2020). If I must use a pronoun, I should inquire about the gender that the individual belongs to. If the health professional uses the wrong pronoun, she should apologize and correct the mistake (Landry, 2017). I should ensure that my language enhances inclusion and reflects that of the client. For instance, asking about the marital status without providing options for “other” can exclude some people.
I have experienced a situation with a patient where I felt I should have handled her health differently. The event happened many years during the start of my nursing practice. I was using the stethoscope on a transgender female patient, but she looked uncomfortable when I touched her chest area. I should have inquired regarding the matter to avoid prejudgments. Although she looked like a man, I should have asked if she was comfortable.
I should take several steps to advocate for health equality for the LGBTQ population. The best step is engendering policy changes in the healthcare sector. I should mobilize other nurses and health practitioners to influence legislators to present the matters affecting the LGBTQ in Congress. Health policy should address health insurance coverage and discrimination of the population. Health practitioners should improve their LGBTQ cultural competence (Felsenstein, 2018). I should also avoid using demeaning conversations and discriminating against LGBTQ individuals and stop other practitioners from doing so.
References
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) Washington, D.C.: Author.
Felsenstein, D. R. (2018). Enhancing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender cultural competence in a Midwestern primary care clinic setting. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 34(3), 142–150.
Landry, J. (2017). Delivering culturally sensitive care to LGBTQI patients. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 13(5), 342-347.