Creating More Inclusive Spaces for LGBTQIA+ Patients During Health Testing
More Programs and Publications Featuring Dana Powell Baker
In this program:
How can health testing for LGBTQIA+ patients be made more inclusive? Dana Powell Baker discusses the point of view of LGBTQIA+ patients and how healthcare providers can help provide more inclusive spaces for all patients.
Transcript
Dana Powell Baker:
I think it's really important to take to heart that representation matters. And so really starting with what is the composition of our healthcare team? And not to say that everyone has to necessarily be reflective of the LGBTQIA+ community, but again, where are we being proactive in our recruitment and retention and just exposure to the various professions that may be represented on the healthcare team because we do need more representation, because it is actually supported that patients feel more welcome and more included when they see someone who represents who they are.
And being able to see yourself in spaces such as a healthcare setting can be reaffirming, it could be welcoming, it could be a source of comfort and just relatability, but also with that sense of allyship, to have that in place. So even if that is not necessarily represented in the makeup or composition of the healthcare team, what other resources can be considered to really serve as that source of support, that source of encouraging everyone that this is a safe and brave space.
This space was created with you in mind to encourage and empower you as a patient, to welcome you as a patient. Come as you are and know that you will receive that equitable treatment just as anyone else. And I think that also just comes down to transparency and what those testing practices or policies look like. What resources are available, what diagnostic testing is being performed, being really effective in how we communicate and what is communicated, even if it's upon their entry into that clinical setting and asking about preferred pronouns, asking for their preferred name. Because again, in order to treat someone, you need to truly see them for who they are and where they are. And I think that sentiment can go a really long way in setting the tone and setting the stage for that clinical encounter. And so, again we can't treat everyone as if they are exactly the same.
We are all unique, we are diverse in that, again, we have to treat everyone as who they are, how they show up, who they show up as, and really respect how they self-identify and really adhering and following that, you know, displaying that respect, displaying that level of trust and concern, sincere concern for their quality of care and quality of treatment. Because again, we want to make sure that they're always coming back, that they are keeping up with their follow-up appointments, that they are compliant when it comes to that follow-up diagnostic testing because that will definitely lend to the outcomes that we want to see, especially as we talk about advancing equity and, of course, decreasing healthcare disparities.
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