The following is a summary of “Optimizing Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescent Health: Putting Evidence into Practice,” published in the March 2024 issue of Pediatrics by Kelly et al.
Sexual and gender minority (SGM) adolescents face heightened health risks compared to their cisgender and heterosexual counterparts, necessitating targeted interventions to address their unique needs.
Researchers implemented an evidence-based practice (EBP) initiative in this study to provide affirmative healthcare for adolescents across two pediatric primary care sites. Utilizing the EPQA standardized reporting system as the guide, the initiative focused on three key components: comprehensive training for healthcare providers to understand better and address the specific healthcare needs of SGM adolescents, the integration of two novel electronic health record (EHR) charting tools tailored to address the unique needs of SGM individuals, and a thorough evaluation of the EBP initiative’s effectiveness through both quantitative and qualitative analyses.
The initiative’s results revealed that the new EHR charting tools were utilized 165 times over three months, demonstrating a compliance rate of 20.4%. Additionally, the analysis uncovered disparities in screening practices, particularly noting that providers were less likely to screen Hispanic patients compared to those of other racial and ethnic backgrounds (p = .043). Feedback from healthcare providers indicated that the EBP initiative was perceived as informative, feasible, and did not significantly disrupt workflow; however, suggestions for improvement were also noted.
In conclusion, the study underscores the importance of implementing evidence-based practices to optimize healthcare delivery for SGM adolescents. While the initiative showed promise, further refinement and ongoing evaluation are necessary to ensure equitable and inclusive healthcare practices for all adolescents, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0891524524000452
