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Perspectives

Weight Bias in Healthcare

PerspectivesBy Diversity ScienceAugust 31, 2023

Weight bias in healthcare is a harmful problem that can greatly affect patients. Despite their best intentions and commitment to high quality of care, healthcare providers sometimes hold negative attitudes…

Cassie, a 31-year-old transgender woman, had been dealing with persistent skin issues ranging from eczema to chronic dermatitis since childhood. Seeking relief, she consulted a new dermatologist about her symptoms after three years of undergoing hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as part of her transition. But as she described her affliction, listing out the symptoms that had followed her since childhood, the doctor hastily attributed her skin problems to HRT. Cassie was confused since her skin conditions predated her transition by a few decades. But the doctor was unwilling to change their diagnosis. Cassie sought a second opinion, then a third, then a fourth, and so on. This misdiagnosis was echoed by multiple healthcare providers, leaving Cassie feeling frustrated and unheard. It wasn't until she found a healthcare provider who had received education on gender-inclusive health that she finally received the appropriate care she desperately needed. The provider recognized the multifaceted nature of Cassie's health, offering the holistic care she longed for. Cassie's experience is not isolated but reflects the systemic issues that gender-diverse patients often encounter in healthcare. A 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey reported that 33% of respondents who saw a healthcare provider in the past year reported having at least one negative experience related to being transgender. These included being refused treatment, verbally harassed, or having to teach the healthcare provider about transgender care. In addition, nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents reported that they did not seek the healthcare they needed in the past year due to fear of being mistreated as a transgender person. These statistics underscore the urgency of addressing the healthcare inequities that the gender-diverse population faces and advocating for their right to safe, respectful, and competent care. This article aims to shed light on the unique healthcare challenges faced by gender-diverse patients. It also aims to provide healthcare providers with practical strategies to improve their understanding of these issues and their ability to deliver equitable, gender-inclusive care. We hope that through education and empathy, we can ensure that every patient, regardless of gender identity, feels heard, understood, and cared for within the healthcare system. Not As Rare As You May Believe Contrary to prevailing misconceptions, gender-diverse individuals constitute a much larger portion of the population than many believe. In the United States alone, approximately 1.6% of adults, or roughly 5 million people, identify as gender diverse. This prevalence becomes even more significant among younger demographics, with 5% of young adults and 10% of adolescents identifying outside the binary norms of gender. These statistics underscore the importance of gender-inclusive healthcare, given the substantial number of individuals identifying as gender diverse. As Dr. Frederic Ettner, a family medicine physician, aptly points out, "You may be up to speed in rare cancers that you may not see but once in five years. You're seeing gender-diverse people all the time." Understanding Gender Diversity The concept of gender diversity is not new but is often misunderstood or oversimplified. To improve healthcare services for gender-diverse patients, healthcare providers need to understand the complex layers of gender and how they can impact a patient's healthcare. Biological Sex & Gender Understanding the distinction between sex and gender is a cornerstone to providing inclusive and equitable care. Each term represents a unique spectrum of identities and experiences, and both play a critical role in shaping health outcomes. Biological Sex Biological sex is the complex constellation of biological characteristics that typically define humans as male or female. These characteristics include chromosomes, genes, internal and external sex organs, and secondary sex characteristics. Traditional teachings suggest that humans fit neatly into two categories — male or female. However, advancements in biomedical and genetic research have debunked this simplistic understanding. For instance, individuals born with intersex conditions exhibit female and male biological characteristics, challenging the binary notion of sex. Approximately 1-2% of individuals are born intersex, further highlighting that biological sex operates on a spectrum. Yet, standard medical practice assigns sex at birth based on external anatomy — that's what we call assigned female at birth (AFAB) or assigned male at birth (AMAB). Gender Unlike biological sex, gender is a social and cultural construct. It encapsulates societal expectations around roles, behaviors, and preferences typically associated with each sex. In many cultures, gender is perceived as binary, recognizing only two genders: woman (feminine) and man (masculine). However, gender diversity extends beyond this binary framework. Gender Identity is deeply personal and internal. It represents an individual's sense of their own gender, which may be man, woman, both, neither, or a different gender altogether. Gender Expression, in contrast, is external. It is how individuals choose to express their gender identity through dress, hairstyle, body language, and voice. Some conceptualize gender expression as a spectrum, from feminine to masculine, with a multitude of expressions in between.

Gender Inclusive Care: Healthcare Inequities That Gender Diverse Patients Face & What You Can Do About It

PerspectivesBy Diversity ScienceAugust 4, 2023

Jesse, a 27-year-old nonbinary person who doesn’t identify as a man or a woman, had their first seizure at the age of 19. Forced to leave home due to their…

Diverse teams in a positive dei climate create best outcomes

The Business Case for Investing in Inclusion

DEI Best Practices, PerspectivesBy Diversity ScienceJuly 8, 2023

The Inclusion (DEI) Climate Affects Every Aspect of Organizational Functioning and SuccessBenefits of a Positive Inclusion Climate Improved outcomes on the individual, group, and organizational level Fosters innovation, creativity, and…

Diverse nurse happy to learn how to prevent implicit bias

DEI Leader Best Practices: Build Relationships & Networks

DEI Best Practices, DEI Change Facilitation & Leadership, DEI Information, Perspectives, Supplemental Resources, Useful KnowledgeBy Diversity ScienceSeptember 1, 2022

Powerful leaders do not always have typical “formal leadership” titles and roles. People with formal leadership roles and titles are not always powerful leaders. The power is in their relationships…

Doctors dealing with patient bias and prejudice

When Patients Are Biased

DEI Best Practices, Perspectives, Supplemental ResourcesBy Diversity ScienceApril 23, 2022

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