Searching for an LGBTQ+ Affirming Provider – From the Perspective of LGBTQ+ Physicians 

By Drs. Hayden Lee Shafer, MD and Christopher Terndrup, MD 

There are few matters in one’s life more personal than health. Establishing a relationship with a medical provider who’s able to understand a patient’s history, needs, and goals is often a complex gamble on the behalf of the patient. 

This process can be even more troublesome for LGBTQ+ patients who may fear discrimination and mistreatment. Once they have searched online, complied with their insurance’s stipulations, and waited what is likely to be a less-than-desired amount of time, there is a chance the patient will be sat in front of a clinician who may not even share the same values as them. This risks the patient being unheard and misrepresented. It also diminishes the quality of care they could have received. 

Imagine the alternative — a patient able to freely and authentically present as who they are to their clinician, allowing for transparency and a deeper connection to improve their health. 

Healthcare of the LGBTQ+ patient needs to be individualized but also informed by knowledge of specific risks and behaviors. Despite advances toward LGBTQ+ equality in the U.S., research suggests that LGBTQ+ persons continue to experience health disparities in almost every major health indicator. 

Gaps in care exist around substance use, mental health disease, reproductive and sexual health, wellness, access to care, and use of preventive health services. Given these disparities in health, LGBTQ+ patients are right to seek out clinicians who have the knowledge, training, and background to meet their specific needs.

All of us in the LGBTQ+ community can have an impact on improving better relationships between patients and their providers. We in healthcare, particularly those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, are aware of the gaps in medical training and efforts across the nation seek to address these deficiencies. 

It is bigger than education. Healthcare systems must put energy into, not only improving their policies and workflows to support LGBTQ+ patients, but also making these efforts public to healthcare consumers. 

Most importantly, community members can join advisory councils at hospitals, clinics and other health systems to give real-time and meaningful feedback to these improvements. This can be done on an individual level or by supporting local organizations that support this work on a day-to-day basis.

Finding the right provider can be difficult but things are getting better. Even so, we know much work is left to be done. Each and every one of us, providers and patients alike, can find a way to contribute towards healthcare equity for LGBTQ+ patients. From advocating for supportive candidates at the federal level, all the way down to participating in a local health fair like the Connect Community Health Fair, we can all work towards better healthcare outcomes in the future for the LGBTQ+ community.

About the Authors:

Both authors are Primary care providers in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Dr. Shafer is a Family Medicine provider and Dr. Terndrup is a General Internist; both work closely with Vanderbilt’s Transgender Health Program and provide care for all members of the LGBTQ+ community.