Bod J, Buck S, Chandler I, Goldflam K, Tsyrulnik A, Coughlin R, Fujimoto J, Joseph M, Della-Giustina D, Phadke M, Boatright D. LGBTQ+ individuals are not explicitly represented in emergency medicine simulation curricula.
MEDEDPUBLISH 2024;
14:30. [PMID:
38932993 PMCID:
PMC11200058 DOI:
10.12688/mep.20242.1]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Background
Medical educational societies have emphasized the inclusion of marginalized populations, including the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) population, in educational curricula. Lack of inclusion can contribute to health inequality and mistreatment due to unconscious bias. Little didactic time is spent on the care of LGBTQ+ individuals in emergency medicine (EM) curricula. Simulation based medical education can be a helpful pedagogy in teaching cross-cultural care and communication skills. In this study, we sought to determine the representation of the LGBTQ+ population in EM simulation curricula. We also sought to determine if representations of the LGBTQ+ population depicted stigmatized behavior.
Methods
We reviewed 971 scenarios from six simulation case banks for LGBTQ+ representation. Frequency distributions were determined for major demographic variables. Chi-Squared or Fisher's Exact Test, depending on the cell counts, were used to determine if relationships existed between LGBTQ+ representation and bank type, author type, and stigmatized behavior.
Results
Of the 971 scenarios reviewed, eight (0.82%) scenarios explicitly represented LGBTQ+ patients, 319 (32.85%) represented heterosexual patients, and the remaining 644 (66.32%) did not specify these patient characteristics. All cases representing LGBTQ+ patients were found in institutional case banks. Three of the eight cases depicted stigmatized behavior.
Conclusions
LGBTQ+ individuals are not typically explicitly represented in EM simulation curricula. LGBTQ+ individuals should be more explicitly represented to reduce stigma, allow EM trainees to practice using gender affirming language, address health conditions affecting the LGBTQ+ population, and address possible bias when treating LGBTQ+ patients.
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