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. 2021 Jan 25:2020:303-310.
eCollection 2020.

Bringing Cultural Competency to the EHR: Lessons Learned Providing Respectful, Quality Care to the LGBTQ Community

Aliasgar Z Chittalia  1 , Heather L Marney  1 , Spencer Tavares  1 , Leyla Warsame  1 , Arthur W Breese  1 , Dawn L Fisher  1 , Michael E Stoppie  1 , D Coen  1 , Kim A Zikowski  1 , Andrea W Shapiro  1 , David K Vawdrey  1   2
Affiliations

Bringing Cultural Competency to the EHR: Lessons Learned Providing Respectful, Quality Care to the LGBTQ Community

Aliasgar Z Chittalia et al. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. .

Abstract

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) community is vulnerable to healthcare disparities. Many healthcare organizations are contemplating efforts to collect sexual orientation and gender identity in the electronic health record (EHR), with a goal of providing more respectful, inclusive, high-quality care to their LGBTQ patients. There are significant human and technical barriers that must be overcome to make these efforts successful. Based on our four-year experience at Geisinger (an integrated health system located in a rural, generally conservative area), we provide insights to overcome challenges in two critical areas: 1) enabling the EHR to collect and use information to support the healthcare needs of LGBTQ patients, and 2) building a culture of awareness and caring, empowering members of the healthcare team to break down barriers of misunderstanding and mistrust.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Examples of Geisinger's informational handouts and web resources for patients.,
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Workflow for collecting sexual orientation and gender identity-related information.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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