Like anyone else, members of the LGBTGEQIAP+ community appear in the emergency department, urgent care, and other acute care settings. Unlike other populations, however, members of the LGBTGEQIAP+ community often experience hostility in these fast-paced healthcare settings (Fadus et al., 2020). To that end, more can be done in acute care to create trauma-informed care practices to maximize the health of LGBTGEQIAP+ patients. 

The good news is that every acute care setting can design trauma-informed care practices supportive of the LGBTGEQIAP+ community. While implementing such practices could appear daunting, they are quite easy, and standardizing your trauma-informed care practices on the LGBTGEQIAP+ community can prove most useful since this particular population is inclusive of all other populations (Bass & Nagy, 2022; Brown et al., 2022; Lee et al., 2023; Stillerman et al., 2023; Wholeben et al., 2022). 

First, adopt a trauma-informed leadership approach, including a strategy statement and application of your organization's values. Regarding strategy, consider adopting the Center for Disease Control and Prevention trauma-informed guidelines (Infographic: 6 guiding principles to A trauma-informed approach, 2023): 

• Safety

• Trustworthiness and transparency

• Peer support

• Collaboration and mutuality

• Empowerment, voice, and choice

• Cultural, historical, and gender issues

Once your strategy and values are in place, use these items to define your LGBTGEQIAP+ trauma-informed acute care program (describe what you do), systems (describe how you manage it), training (describe how you teach the program and system), and communications (describe when, where, and how you talk about it). Below are a few LGBTGEQIAP+ trauma-informed acute care setting components you can consider for implementation at your facility. 

Design Your Program:

• Integrated health care is vital to promote safety and empowerment (Wholeben et al., 2022).

• Post LGBGEQIAP+ welcoming signals, such as placing culturally appropriate magazines in the waiting room (Bass & Nagy, 2022). 

• Avoid using religious symbols, such as playing religious music (Fadus et al., 2020).

• Actively recruit and hire culturally competent providers (Bass & Nagy, 2022; Lee et al., 2023; Wholeben et al., 2022). 

Implement a Thoughtful System:

• Provide LGBTGEQIAP+ culture-aligned registration forms and intake paperwork (Fadus et al., 2020).

• Maintain and reinforce confidentiality (Bass & Nagy, 2022).

• Offer affirming accommodations, such as pairing a patient with one who shares their gender identity (Fadus et al., 2020).

• Establish affirming partners to whom you can refer should the patient require additional services when discharged (Brown et al., 2022; Fadus et al., 2020).

Train the Team:

• Train clinical and non-clinical staff–everyone! (Fadus et al., 2020)

• Use many channels and settings to train the team and reinforce learning (Brown et al., 2022; Lee et al., 2023).

• Create a curriculum that produces cultural competency and includes all aspects of the LGBTGEQIAP+ community and culture (Fadus et al., 2020; Lee et al., 2023).

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate:

• Promote health outcomes via effective communication (Lee et al., 2023; Wholeben et al., 2022). 

• Avoid derogatory terms (Bass & Nagy, 2022). 

• Use preferred names and pronouns (Fadus et al., 2020).

• Listen to the patient's use of language and follow their lead (Bass & Nagy, 2022). 

Trauma-informed acute care designed to treat the LGBTGEQIAP+ population is an opportunity for healthcare focus and innovation. You can make a massive difference in the lives of all people in your acute care setting by standardizing your trauma-informed care strategy on the LGBTGEQIAP+ population. Indigo Path Collective can help you do just that. If you are ready to start your acute care trauma-informed journey, take a seat. Let’s talk. 

Meanwhile, watch this space for more in-depth, free online training coming soon!

References

Bass, B., & Nagy, H. (2022). Cultural competence in the care of LGBTQ patients. StatPearls Publishing.

Brown, T., Ashworth, H., Bass, M., Rittenberg, E., Levy-Carrick, N., Grossman, S., Lewis-O’Connor, A., & Stoklosa, H. (2022). Trauma-informed care interventions in emergency medicine: A systematic review. The Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 23(3), 334–344. https://doi.org/10.5811/westjem.2022.1.53674

Fadus, M., Hung, K., & Casoy, F. (2020). Care considerations for LGBTQ patients in acute psychiatric settings. Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing), 18(3), 285–288. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.20200002

Infographic: 6 guiding principles to A trauma-informed approach. (2023, February 23). Cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/orr/infographics/6_principles_trauma_info.htm

Stillerman, A., Altman, L., Peña, G., Cua, G., Goben, A., Walden, A. L., & Atkins, M. S. (2023). Advancing trauma-informed care in hospitals: The time is now. The Permanente Journal, 27(1), 16–20. https://doi.org/10.7812/tpp/22.081

Wholeben, M., McCreary, R., & Salazar, G. (2022). Validation of trauma-informed care instruments: Emergency Department Environment and Transitional Secondary Environment. Journal of Trauma Nursing: The Official Journal of the Society of Trauma Nurses, 29(6), 282–290. https://doi.org/10.1097/JTN.0000000000000681