A Scoping Review on the Exigent Needs to Build Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual Inclusive Competencies in the Medical Education Curriculum

Abstract

Introduction: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) individuals are subjected to appreciable health inequalities, many of which are exacerbated by the absence of a standard framework for LGBTQIA+ proficient healthcare. The marginalised LGBTQIA+ population faces atrocious health outcomes and reveals deplorable medical care experiences. To provide relevant and sensitive care to LGBTQIA+ individuals and fulfill the healthcare needs of this marginalised population, healthcare service providers must acquire expertise in specific skills, guidelines, and recommendations. Aim: To provide a brief summary of the evidence in the scientific literature regarding the necessity of incorporating LGBTQIA+ inclusive competency into medical education curricula. Materials and Methods: An intricate literature search in scholarly databases like PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase, and CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) yielded a wide range of publications focusing on training undergraduate medical students in LGBTQIA+ healthcare. The selected scientific articles were further screened in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria devised for this scoping review, aligning with the study’s objectives. Result: The extensive search yielded a total of 578 articles for screening. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 14 manuscripts were analysed for this scoping review, advocating the importance of integrating competencies into the medical curriculum to provide improved, unbiased healthcare services to LGBTQIA+ communities. Conclusion: There was notable diversity in studies in terms of the research objective, the LGBTQIA+ population(s) under focus, and the study results. Stigma and bias present potential barriers to establishing quality healthcare services for the LGBTQIA+ population. The current literature shows consensus in supporting academic efforts to shift towards pedagogical interventions that are vertically integrated and focused on clinical skills to address LGBTQIA+ health disparities.