Medical students’ perceptions of their preparedness to care for LGBT patients in Taiwan: Is medical education keeping up with social progress?

INTRODUCTION: Integrating training on health equity of sexual and gender minorities (SGM) in medical education has been challenging globally despite emphasis on the need for medical students to develop competence to provide adequate care for diverse patient groups. This study elicits Taiwanese medical students’ perceptions of their values and preparedness to care for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender (LGBT) patients using a qualitative approach that considers broader societal changes, and more focused topics such as the provision of relevant training in medical education. METHODS: Eighty-nine medical students/trainees from two southern Taiwanese medical schools (one public and one private) participated in focus groups (n = 70) and individual interviews (n = 19). Qualitative analysis was conducted using inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: Participants (i) expressed wide social acceptance and openness toward LGBT individuals, but were unsure of ways to communicate with LGBT patients; (ii) confirmed that stigmatization and biases might be developed during their training; (iii) recognized gender stereotypes could have negative impacts on clinical reasoning; (iv) considered themselves prepared to care for LGBT patients, yet equated non-discriminatory attitudes to preparedness; (v) acknowledged a lack of relevant professional skills; (vi) implicated curriculum did not address LGBT issues systematically and explicitly. CONCLUSION: This study has identified the insufficiencies of current medical training and inadequate preparedness of medical students/trainees to provide better care for LGBT patients. It provides insights for medical educators to design and implement effective medical curriculum and training, and faculty development programs to equip medical students/trainees with self-awareness and competencies to more readily provide holistic care for SGM, in keeping up with social progress, and promote health equity for a more diverse patient population.