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Patients who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community said they receive less information and use fewer preventive care services compared to the overall population, according to a recent study.

A joint report from Phreesia Life Sciences and Klick Health found that gender and sexual identity affects the care received by LGBTQ+ patients.

Nearly half of LGBTQ+ patients over 45 years old said their doctors havent brought up cancer screenings during the last two years. A similar percentage of respondents said that they have received preventive health reminder messages from their doctors offices, which is less than the overall population.

Furthermore, more than 40% said they feel not at all confident that they know which cancer screenings to schedule. Less than 30% reported that preventive care is completely covered by their insurance.

Phreesia associate director of strategy Thea Briggs said the study shows that medical marketers have an opportunity to help close the gap between LGBTQ+ patients knowledge and their use of these services. She added that the pandemic underscored the importance of receiving timely preventive care services and the risks associated with delaying regular visits.

A study conducted by the National Institutes of Health in 2021 found that the pandemic decreased the delivery of preventive care services and contributed to delayed diagnoses, increased mortality and increased health care costs. This phenomenon is especially concerning within marginalized communities and vulnerable patient populations, Briggs noted.

She added that where there have been investments in outreach and communication about health risks to the LGBTQ+ community, like HIV, there are higher levels of understanding and awareness.

Still, there needs to be more focus on encouraging other health protocols, such as routine cancer screenings, Briggs stressed.

One of the important things is to make sure that marketers, for example, when theyre developing information about preventive care, are actively considering these populations and making sure that what theyre developing doesnt exclude people, she explained. They need to make sure that they arent approaching how they disseminate this information in a way that tends towards either the middle of the bell curve or ignores specific communities.

Incorporating more LGBTQ+ voices in the development of educational materials should go a long way toward ensuring that accidental mistakes or unconscious biases dont dissuade patients from receiving timely, necessary care, Briggs said. In addition to imagery in pamphlets or commercials, this could also include listing gender identity on office check-in forms.

These small steps toward a more inclusive patient experience could ultimately reset the baseline for the number of diverse viewpoints involved in such discussions.

Theres a lot that the industry could be doing to better equip both patients and healthcare providers to have these conversations, Briggs continued. At the end of the day, it comes down to two people talking in a room about the most sensitive things in the world. Health is critical and how people identify is a huge part of that.

See more here:
Study: Preventive care scarce in LGBTQ+ community - - Medical Marketing and Media

This entry was posted on July 25, 2022 at 2:00 am and is filed under Preventative Medicine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |