Healthcare is an essential aspect of human life that requires professional expertise for diagnosis, treatment, prevention, rehabilitation, palliative care, and health promotion.
Many people from various minorities face discrimination when accessing healthcare services due to their race, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, socioeconomic status, or disability. One such group is the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning community (LGBTQ+) who experience barriers to accessing quality medical care. Medical professionals' implicit biases have been identified as one reason why LGBT patients may be less likely to receive adequate care. This essay discusses how such biases affect the quality of care provided to LGBT patients.
Medical professionals' implicit biases are unconscious attitudes and beliefs about certain groups based on societal stereotypes and prejudices. These biases can be detrimental to LGBT patients because they might cause providers to treat them differently than other patients.
They may assume that all gay men are promiscuous and engage in high-risk sexual behaviors. They may believe that trans individuals suffer from mental illnesses or have a 'false' sense of self-identity. As such, they may not offer quality care to these individuals, resulting in poor outcomes.
They may fail to provide necessary information, deny appropriate treatment options, refuse to address particular issues, or misinterpret clinical signs and symptoms.
Implicit biases lead to underreporting of problems among LGBT patients. Some medical personnel may assume that LGBT individuals do not need certain preventive care measures, while others may perceive them as risky. Consequently, healthcare providers may miss critical clues that could help diagnose early stages of diseases like cancer. In addition, some LGBT individuals avoid seeking medical attention altogether due to fear of being discriminated against or stigmatized by providers. Therefore, their conditions worsen until they become severe, making it difficult for proper diagnosis and treatment.
To mitigate this issue, medical practitioners must receive regular training on culturally competent practices. This training should cover topics like gender identity, sexual orientation, language use, and cultural sensitivity. Providers should also create an inclusive environment where LGBT patients feel comfortable and safe. Such actions will reduce prejudices, promote positive attitudes, and improve the quality of patient care.
How do medical professionals' implicit biases affect the quality of care provided to LGBT patients?
Despite healthcare providers' commitment to providing high-quality care for all patients regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, they may unconsciously hold prejudices that affect the patient-provider relationship and quality of care received. These are known as implicit biases.