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Identifying best practices for the delivery of sexual and gender minority content: a mixed-methods approach
Quinnette B Jones1, Heather R Batchelder2, N Ruth Little3
1Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Duke PA Program, Durham, NC 27710, United States.
Background:
The importance of training healthcare providers to care for sexual and gender minority (SGM) patients is highlighted in the medical education literature; however, best practices for inclusion of this content in medical education are not well defined.
Aim:
The authors aimed to identify best practices for inclusion of SGM content in physician assistant (PA) education through analysis of factors related to student preparedness and incorporation of educator perceptions about best practices.
Methods:
This study used a mixed-methods approach. National PA program data on LGBTQ+ curricular content was collected from November 2021 to January 2022 via a survey sent to all US PA programs (n = 284) at the time. Qualitative data from expert PA educators of SGM content were collected from March 2024 to May 2024 through semi-structured focus groups.
Outcomes:
Primary outcome measures were student preparedness to care for SGM patients and expert PA educator recommendations for best practices in the delivery of SGM content in PA school.
Results:
The survey response rate was 71.8% (n = 204). PA programs with LGBTQ+-knowledgeable faculty members were more likely to report having adequately or well-prepared students than programs without knowledgeable faculty (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 6.16). Similarly, programs teaching >3 h of any type of LGBTQ+ content were more likely to report having prepared students (AOR = 5.20). Content analysis of qualitative data showed recommendations for educational strategies, student competencies, evaluation of competencies, and facilitators and challenges to integration of SGM content.
Clinical Implications:
Implementing best practices in medical education and increasing preparedness of students to care for SGM patients will improve access to quality healthcare for SGM individuals.
Strengths And Limitations:
Strengths include the response rate of US PA programs, rigorous methods in the qualitative analysis, and use of a conceptual model for mixed-methods analysis. Limitations include possible survey bias and the inability to directly link quantitative and qualitative responses.
Conclusions:
This study provides insight into factors associated with reported student preparedness to care for LGBTQ+ patients and identifies best practices for delivery of SGM curricular content.
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