Harnessing the medical humanities to consider LGBT+ elder healthcare within the undergraduate curriculum

Agius, Stevie; Church, Helen

Abstract

Background: Many older LGBT+ adults [elders] in the UK will have endured extraordinary discrimination and homophobia/transphobia during their life course, often intersectional, which may have had an enduring impact upon their physical and mental well-being. LGBT+ elders experience significant health disparities related to ageing, with an increased risk of disability, poor mental health, smoking, and higher alcohol consumption than their heterosexual/cisgender counterparts. They are much more likely to have chosen support networks which can be endangered by ageing and illness.
Summary of Work: At present, very few medical schools include specific LGBT+ elder healthcare learning objectives in their curricula. Students entering medical schools have a diverse range of socio-cultural backgrounds. Undergraduate medical education represents the first opportunity for medical educators to ensure that all future doctors have the same foundational understanding of sexuality and gender, including in relation to LGBT+ elders. This humanities-based study will therefore identify (i) evidence-based pedagogy and (ii) relevant extant narratives in the form of art, literature and film in order to determine how such material might allow for greater understanding and compassionate care of LGBT+ elders via an integrated curriculum.
Summary of Results: *WORK IN PROGRESS A scoping review of curricula-based evidence in medical education is underway to identify effective modalities in delivering content on LGBT+ elder healthcare. A parallel review will identify art, literature and film which captures and conveys narratives relevant to the LGBT+ elder experience
Discussion and Conclusions: The research findings will be used to determine whether extant humanitiesbased narrative materials can provide a resource for undergraduate medical students in understanding the LGBT+ elder experience in pursuit of culturally competent care and combat healthcare inequalities. An evidence-based intervention will be subsequently incorporated into an undergraduate medical curriculum and evaluated for efficacy to determine whether modalities may be transferable to other topics in an integrated curriculum.
Take-home Messages: Medical students should receive greater instruction on the social and healthcarerelated experiences of older LGBT+ patients. At present, very few medical schools include such provision in their curricula. This study explores how the medical humanities may provide a vital source of understanding for the LGBT+ elder experience.

Citation

Agius, S., & Church, H. (2021, August). Harnessing the medical humanities to consider LGBT+ elder healthcare within the undergraduate curriculum. Poster presented at AMEE 2021, Virtual

• Presentation Conference Type: Poster
• Conference Name: AMEE 2021
• Start Date: Aug 27, 2021
• End Date: Aug 30, 2021
• Deposit Date: Aug 24, 2021
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/6090783
• Related Public URLs: https://amee.org/Conferences/AMEE-2021; https://amee.org/getattachment/Conferences/AMEE-2021/Programme/AMEE-2021-Abstract-Book-V2.pdf