Health Care Disparities In The LGBT Population: Article Analysis

Health disparities in the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender community that lack fair treatment. This population deals with many adversities due to their sexual orientation and gender identity. LGBT’s community consists of a diverse population of people who come from all walks of life ((Howard, 2016). Many LBGT’s will delay or not seek health care due to stigma and lack of fair treatment. In other words, they believe that they are discriminated against.

The mental health of individuals in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) community is something that is a serious problem. For most of the history of the United States and many different parts of the world LGBT people faced much persecution and in some cases even death. This constant fear of discovery and the pressure that one feels on oneself when “in the closet” can lead to major mental distress. Research has shown that people who identify as LGBT are twice as likely to develop lifetime mood and anxiety disorders (Bostwick 468). This is extremely noticeable the past couple years in the suicides of bullied teens on the basis of sexual identity and expression. The stigma on simply being perceived as LGBT is strong enough to

Perhaps the most significant contributing cause of the poor quality of healthcare afforded to transgender patients is the fact that the majority of healthcare providers do not know how to treat trans patients. According to a study done by the Royal College of Nursing, it was discovered that “78% [of surveyed nursing staff] had not had training on how to care for transgender people, and only 13% of those surveyed said they had felt prepared to meet the needs of trans patients they had cared for” (Duffy, 2016). Additionally, around four out of five staff had “no training

was the use of telemedicine in order to reach patients who do not have access to

Delay of seeing a healthcare provider on the basis of fear increases the development of severe illnesses in older LGBT populations. It exacerbates healthcare costs, can put a strain on mental health, and overall decreases wellbeing (Fredriksen-Goldsen & Kim, 2014). Although there is not a calculated cost to be found within the older LGBT community, the delaying of necessary preventative tests, medical treatment, or mental health can worsen current symptoms. This can increase emergency room visits, an already expensive system, thus increasing healthcare costs (Meyer, 2011). In addition to declining physical wellbeing, these adults lack social support systems as they are “twice as likely to live alone, and more than four times as likely to have no children, as compared to heterosexual adults (Gendron et

Relocating into a senior care facilities can be a frightening experience for the aging population. Getting familiar with new surroundings, new organization structure, and new people that can cause anxiety to rise. For a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer individual, this experience can be traumatic. The fear of harassment, hostility, and neglect by healthcare providers and caretakers can keep LGBTQ people from seeking care until their health begins to critically decline. LGBTQ cultural competency training is highly recommended for healthcare professionals and social service organizations. The greatest barrier that prevents quality health care for LGBTQ people is the lack of competence among the healthcare professionals.

The transgender population often have complicated medical needs and encounter numerous health disparities including discrimination, lack of access to quality health care and social stigma. Some health disparities include various chronic diseases, cancers, as well as mental health issues (Vanderbilt University, 2017). Transgender individuals are at increased risk of HIV infection with their rates being reported “over four times the national average of HIV infection, with higher rates among transgender people of color (Grant, Mottet, Tanis, 2011).” In addition, they usually do not have health insurance (Makadon, 2017) and have a lower probability of preventative cancer screenings in transgender men (AMSA, 2017).

This decision has affected people’s behavior as individuals and public institutions such as family, young, elderly, disabled, LGTB and those with pre-existing conditions. For example, Kates & Ranji (2014) report that health care access and coverage for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGTB) community in the U.S. face opportunities and challenges when getting access to care. The authors report that LGBT individuals experience some discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, due to ongoing discrimination, access to health care have been limited to these people (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2014). LGBT individuals not only face discrimination when trying to receive care, but also face difficulties that limit them such as “barriers in obtaining insurance coverage, gaps in coverage, cost-related hurdles, and poor treatment by health care providers” (Kates & Ranji, 2014).

Of the study’s 25 participants, 20 were female-to-male. The authors determined the main problem for the participants was the struggle to find transgender-sensitive health care. The subjects described discrimination by healthcare systems, lack of knowledge and hostility by providers, and lack of health insurance to cover transgender-specific healthcare needs. Some of the FtM participants who had problems with pelvic pain, abnormal uterine bleeding, and a history of abnormal Pap tests kept their gender as female on their insurance so they could still get the care they needed. Using a national cross-sectional survey data set, Shires and Jaffee (2015) reported similar findings. Of the 1,711 FtM participants included in this study, 41.8 percent reported verbal harassment, physical assault, or denial of equal treatment in a doctor’s office or

The researchers explained that LGBT community faces stress because of the negative experience they receive to obtain services such as day care, homecare and care giving services. Researchers found that “long-term-care residents and staff, 89 percent of respondents believed that staff would discriminate against an LGBT resident and 53 percent believed that staff would abuse or neglect a resident because the resident identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender” (Moone, Croghan, and Olson, 2016). The researchers found that key factors to work with the LBGT population specifically the elder population are to become more welcoming to the population. Also the practitioner must become knowledgeable about the LGBT culture. Moone, Croghan and Olson states, “Building knowledge is an important first step in understanding the unique needs of LGBT older adults in order to provide person-centered and culturally competent care and services. Training allows the practitioner an opportunity to explore basic experiences of and beliefs held in the LGBT community, as well as to trace historical precedents that led to LGBT older adults’ fears of mistreatment by service providers”(2016, p74). The researcher suggests that providers should acknowledge the LGBT elders in paper work and policies. Moone, Croghan and Olson states, “Include LGBT topics or clients in newsletters, Offer LGBT-related resources to clients or families, Update assessment forms to include LGBT welcoming language, Post non-discrimination policies that specifically include sexual orientation and gender identity, Provide sensitivity training on LGBT aging to staff, volunteers, and leadership, Advertise in LGBT periodicals or publications ,Include LGBT people in marketing material, Develop LGBT-specific materials from your

While waiting to be seen by your doctor have you ever experienced firsthand how Gay/Lesbian individuals are treated upon entering any healthcare facility? I have experienced myself with a family member and it was heart-breaking. Among having these individuals sometimes think twice about going to any healthcare facility they also worry about insurance coverage. Truthfully, everyone stresses about healthcare coverage. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was the beginning and reduced rates of the uninsured and made the health system available for these individuals.

Transgender and gender-nonconforming people (TGNC) have made progressions in gaining acceptance in the community, but still face many barriers in receiving quality health care. Designing an in-service program focused on cultural competence training for health care providers will help transgender individuals receive the quality care they deserve. The TGNC community have many unique health disparities, such as mental health issues, suicide, anxiety, AIDs, HIV and cancer. Through use of leadership, communication and education health care providers will learn how to work with diverse groups and deliver quality care. With diversity increasing throughout the nation, challenges and opportunities present themselves for health care providers and health care systems to deliver culturally competent care.

Sexual and social stigmas largely affect the health of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) population. While many reports from the Institute of Medicine, Healthy People 2020 and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality recognize a need to improve the quality of health care, barriers still remain. LGBT patients face legal discrimination, especially with insurance, a lack of social programs, and limited access to providers competent in LGBT health care. Although the Affordable Care Act increased access to care for LGBT patients, unless these patients feel understood by providers and develop trust in the system, they are not likely to utilize care. Healthcare providers need to recognize how these vulnerabilities, as well as persistent racism and stigma linked to sexual orientation and gender identity, make the healthcare needs of LGBT patients more challenging than the general population. Healthcare providers also need to promote cultural competence within this population and broaden their clinical lens to include health promotion, in addition to addressing concerns mentioned above within the population. Additionally, medical and nursing schools need to ensure that future providers are adequately educated by including information about this population in the curriculum.

The lack of specialised care options available for Indigenous LGBTQI+ individuals is substantial, and this lack of care has resulted in a severe mental health crisis throughout the community. Suicide, self-harm, depression and anxiety are central effects of this mental health crisis, and impact deeply on the lives of those who suffer from them.

Nursing is evolving throughout the years, with new studies and research, we as nurses must take it upon ourselves to not limit our fixated view towards to what we have been accustomed to. As future leaders, nurses “practice compassion and uniqueness of every individual” (2012). The world around us has changed particularly the rise in issues concerning gender. We have learned growing up that the term sex was either male or female with no regard to gender identity. Gender is what one person identifies as being either masculine or feminine (2012). The realization to become knowledgeable and sensitive is shown by the growing numbers from the National Center for Transgender Equality, which reported an estimated 115,000 to 450,000 transgender adults