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Obstetrics and Gynecology Resident Physician Experiences with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Healthcare Training

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Abstract

Purpose

To assess obstetrician-gynecologist (Ob/Gyn) resident experiences with and preferences for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) healthcare training.

Methods

A cross-sectional, web-based survey was deployed to residents from accredited Illinois Ob/Gyn training programs. The survey included 32 questions on resident demographics, LGBTQ training, and self-perceived preparedness in providing LGBTQ patient care.

Results

Of 257 eligible Ob/Gyn residents, 105 (41%) responded. Fifty percent of residents felt unprepared to care for lesbian or bisexual patients and 76% felt unprepared to care for transgender patients. Feeling prepared to provide care for lesbian or bisexual patients was associated with attending a university-based program, working in a hospital without religious affiliation, and year of training. Feeling prepared to provide healthcare for transgender patients correlated with grand rounds focused on LGBTQ health and supervised clinical involvement. Regarding training, 62% and 63% of participants stated their programs dedicate 1–5 h per year to lesbian/bisexual healthcare and transgender healthcare training, respectively. Concurrently, 92% desired more education on how to provide healthcare to LGBTQ patients. Perceived barriers to receiving training in LGBTQ healthcare included curricular crowding (85%) and lack of experienced faculty (91%).

Conclusion

Our assessment indicates Illinois Ob/Gyn residents feel inadequately prepared to address healthcare needs of LGBTQ patients. Although barriers exist, residents desire more education and training in providing healthcare to the LGBTQ community. Future work is needed to address this gap through curricular development to ensure that Ob/Gyn residency graduates are prepared care for LGBTQ patients.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Sang Mee Lee, PhD, for her contributions to the biostatistical analysis for this manuscript.

Funding

Study received financial support from the Biological Sciences Division’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion at the University of Chicago and internal support from Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Chicago, 5841 South Maryland Avenue MC 2050, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA

    Karla Daniela Guerrero-Hall, Iris L. Romero & Julie Chor

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA

    Rebecca Muscanell

  3. The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    Namrata Garg

Authors
  1. Karla Daniela Guerrero-Hall
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  2. Rebecca Muscanell
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  3. Namrata Garg
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  4. Iris L. Romero
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  5. Julie Chor
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Contributions

Rebecca Muscanell, Karla Daniela Guerrero-Hall, and Julie Chor conceived of the presented idea and designed the survey. Rebecca Muscanell and Karla Daniela Guerrero-Hall administered the survey and contacted the survey sites. Rebecca Muscanell, Karla Daniela Guerrero-Hall, Sang Mee Lee, and Julie Chor performed the calculations and analyzed the data. Rebecca Muscanell, Karla Daniela Guerrero-Hall, Iris Romero and Namrata Garg, Sang Mee Lee, and Julie Chor contributed to the interpretation of the results. All authors contributed to writing the manuscript, provided critical feedback to help shape the final manuscript, and approved this version for submission.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Julie Chor.

Ethics declarations

Ethics Approval

The study was deemed exempt by the University of Chicago Institutional Review Board on 10/25/2017 (IRB17-1506).

Informed Consent

The University of Chicago Institutional Review Board waived the need for informed consent for this project, given the minimal risk and exempt status.

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Guerrero-Hall, K.D., Muscanell, R., Garg, N. et al. Obstetrics and Gynecology Resident Physician Experiences with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Healthcare Training. Med.Sci.Educ. 31, 599–606 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-021-01227-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-021-01227-9

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