Dpt Students’ Perceived Preparedness and Comfort in Clinical Care of the LGBTQ Population
Purpose/Hypothesis:The LGBTQ population has faced significant barriers regarding access to proper healthcare.1,2 One barrier may be lack of training in entry-level healthcare education programs on LGBTQ-related health needs and cultural competency.5 Additionally, students may not feel comfortable providing care to this population. A study by White et. al. supported this notion and found 67% of medical students felt that their programs’ LGBTQ-related content was fair to very poor, while 45% of students felt their level of comfort and preparedness had not changed with medical school training. 3 To the investigator’s knowledge, no study has been done to assess similar perceptions of DPT students. The aim of this study was to assess 2nd and 3rd year DPT students’ perception of comfort and preparedness in physical therapy management of the LGBTQ population.
Number of Subjects: 164
Materials and Methods: Participants accessed an electronic survey either through email or Facebook. The survey was adapted from survey in the White et. al. study.3 Inclusion criteria were: 18+ years old, be able to read and write in English, currently a 2nd or 3rd year DPT student in the United States, and consent to fill out the survey. Questions addressed various themes related to LGBTQ health such as respondents’ content knowledge (e.g. pronoun usage, gender reassignment surgeries), inclusion of relevant LGBTQ education in DPT curricula, and overall comfort/preparedness in managing patients in this population.
Results: Regarding educational content within programs, 31% of students stated that LGBTQ-related health was addressed in their required curriculum. 65% of students stated that their preparedness in treating the LGBTQ population has not changed with their DPT education, while 66% said their comfort in treating this population also has not changed. Between 60 to 73% of students felt LGBTQ-related health topics were not sufficiently covered within their respective DPT programs.
Conclusions: The LGBTQ population has unique healthcare needs which may include physical therapy management. Less than a third of DPT students who responded to this survey reported receiving education on this population within their curricula. Many respondents also reported a perceived a lack of preparedness and comfort in managing this population. Limitations of this study include small sample size and lack of specific geographical data regarding respondents/programs.
Clinical Relevance: The LGBTQ population has unique healthcare needs which may include physical therapy management. Less than a third of DPT students who responded to this survey reported receiving education on this population within their curricula. Many respondents also reported a perceived a lack of preparedness and comfort in managing this population. Limitations of this study include small sample size and lack of specific geographical data regarding respondents/programs.