Sexual and Gender Minority Curricula Within US Dermatology Residency Programs

Abstract

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) patients face many health challenges, including higher burdens of skin cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, and complications associated with hormone therapy or gender-affirming surgery. 1 Improving clinician knowledge of SGM patients' health needs may improve quality of care for this population. 2 The goal of this study was to assess what SGMspecific health topics are covered in dermatology residency programs to identify possible gaps and guide improvements.Methods | In August 2018, a web-based survey (eAppendix in the Supplement) was sent to the 123 US dermatology residency programs represented by the Association of Professors of Dermatology listserv (electronic mailing list), requesting 1 response per program. The survey was adapted from surveys used to assess SGM residency curricula in other medical specialties 3,4 and included questions about residency demographic characteristics, integration of SGM content, importance of SGM-specific training, barriers to integration, and opinions on best ways to incorporate SGM-specific topics. This study was deemed exempt by the Stanford University Institutional Review Board as the study incurred no more than minimal risk and involved research on established or commonly accepted educational settings. Written informed consent was obtained by each participant prior to completing the survey instrument.Descriptive statistics were used to report program demographic and curricular information. Missing survey question responses were excluded from analyses.

Sexual and Gender Minority Curriculum Within Otolaryngology Residency Programs

“…Seventeen percent of residency programs offer no SGMrelated education. Programs reported devoting a mean percentage of 1.0% of didactic curriculum and 0.7% of clinical exposure to SGM-related topics, and this varied 14 which were similar to our findings reported in this study. Our results were also consistent with the most commonly reported barriers to graduate curricular TNG training (limited curricular time, lack of topic-specific competency among faculty, and insufficient institutional support).…”

“…The instrument was adapted from previously reported instruments (Supplementary Data S1). [12][13][14] An expert panel from multiple institutions consisting of an OHNS department chair, an OHNS residency program director, two OHNS faculty members, and a medical student reviewed the instrument. The panel reached consensus on survey draft revisions, yielding the final instrument.…”

Interactive Session for Residents and Medical Students on Dermatologic Care for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Patients

“…28 A survey of 123 residency programs highlighted that 20% had no curricular topics relevant to sexual and gender minorities. 20 Furthermore, only one of 293 (0.3%) of the American Academy of Dermatology and Society of Pediatric Dermatology's online case modules for medical students mentions LGBT patients. 29 Insufficient time and lack of faculty expertise were reported as the most common barriers to integrating LGBT health content in dermatology residency curricula.…”

“…29 Insufficient time and lack of faculty expertise were reported as the most common barriers to integrating LGBT health content in dermatology residency curricula. 20 A short, online, interactive session has the potential to overcome these educational barriers for dermatology trainees across institutions due to its virtual nature, allowing it to be disseminated to a broad audience outside of clinic hours.…”

“…[17][18][19] The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Competencies recognize the importance of LGBTQ health by requiring dermatology residents to demonstrate responsiveness in caring for LGBTQ populations 6 ; however, many dermatology residency programs still lack formal curricula. 20 Furthermore, no study has examined the efficacy of training in LGBTQ cultural responsiveness in dermatology. 21 We aimed to examine selfreported clinical preparedness, attitudinal awareness, and basic knowledge of medical students and residents before and after an interactive online didactic session on caring for LGBTQ patients in dermatology.…”