June is Pride Month and in honor of our LGBTQ+ community, we want to share some helpful resources for Diabetes Specialists to create more inclusive practices.
Whether we provide services in the hospital, clinic, or other outpatient settings, we can take steps to help the people we work with feel welcome.
By paying careful attention to each person’s experience from the moment they walk in the door until we say goodbye, we can find ways to create a more inclusive environment. This awareness of the details, such as inclusive gender questions on intake forms or gender-neutral signage on the bathrooms, are great first steps to show your care and respect for those you work with.
“Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community have unique health disparities and worse health outcomes than their heterosexual counterparts, which has clinical relevance in the delivery of diabetes care and education. Diabetes care and education specialists are in a pivotal position to help this medically-underserved and vulnerable population get the best possible care.” – Associations for Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES)
Resources
National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center – The Education Center specializes in providing national training and technical assistance (T/TA) to health centers in order to optimize access to quality health care for LGBTQIA+ populations. They offer resources like webinars, toolkits, publications and other resources.
Inclusive Nutrition Care for LGBT+ Patients: Challenges and Opportunities for Dietitians—A Narrative Review – This narrative review aimed to synthesize current evidence on nutrition-related disparities among LGBT+ populations and identify opportunities for dietitians to advance equity in care.
Pharmacist guide for providing gender-affirming care: dispensing and beyond – This serves as a resource to allow pharmacy staff to feel more confident in building gender-affirming care and safe spaces for all patients.
American Medical Association’s (AMA) Resources for creating an LGBTQ-friendly practice – Find recommended standards of practice with lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender patients and additional resources to assist making your practice LGBTQ-friendly by the AMA.
Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) Diabetes and the LGBTQ Community – The CDC has concise, evidence-based summaries specifically on diabetes disparities in LGBTQ+ populations. These are useful for presentations, CE programs, and curriculum development
American Academy of Family Physicians’ (AAFP) LGBTQ+ care: Clinical guidance– AAFP has excellent pragmatic guidance for clinicians integrating LGBTQ+ care into routine care and chronic disease management.
Diabetes Prevention and Management for LGBTQ+ People Handout – this handout includes research of diabetes within the LGBTQ community, along with clinical considerations, programs, and resources for diabetes educators to use within their practice.
American Medical Association’s (AMA) Policies on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer (LGBTQ+) issues – this resource by the American Medical Association lists all the current healthcare policies in place for the LGBTQ community.
Helio’s LGBTQ+ Health Updates Resource Center – this is a “collection of news articles and features that provide the latest information on the unique health needs of individuals in the LGBTQ+ community.”
Online Therapy Guide for LGBTQ+ Youth – this resource uncovers common mental health problems and causes in LGBTQ+ youth and gives pointers on finding the right online therapist.
Are we missing important information and resources? Send us your favorites to [email protected].
For more information, read our Expert Interview with Theresa Garnero, APRN, BC-ADM, MSN, CDE President of Sweet People Club, and writer of the article for on “Providing Culturally Sensitive Care for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community” in Diabetes Spectrum.
