Clinicians can improve dermatologic care disparities faced by HIV-positive LGBT patients
Patients who are HIV positive and members of the LGBT community experience disparities in dermatologic treatment, which clinicians can work to change in order to positively affect a patient’s experience.
“Dermatologists are in a unique position to work with HIV+ LGBT patients. They are at the forefront of the diagnosis and management of HIV-related benign and malignant dermatoses (eg, seborrheic dermatitis, Kaposi sarcoma and melanoma) and the cutaneous side effects of highly active antiretroviral therapy,” Antonio R. Jimenez, BS, of the School of Medicine at University of Texas Medical Branch, and colleagues wrote in the study presented at AAD VMX 2021.
A literature review using the PubMed and Ovid databases evaluated articles from 2000 to 2020 focused on dermatologic conditions in LGBT patients who are HIV positive, HIV- and LGBT-related stigma in health care, quality of care in HIV-positive LGBT populations and clinical management recommendations.
Researchers found that a lack of knowledge or awareness of unconscious bias led to HIV-related stigma and that preexisting health disparities in LGBT patients who are HIV positive worsen both stigma and discrimination.
“Most of the stigma surrounding HIV+ LGBT patients stems from inadequate education on the epidemiology of HIV and the terminology used by the LGBT community,” the authors wrote.
Recommendations include increased HIV- and LGBT-related training in dermatology residency programs and the addition of pronouns to the ID badges of medical providers.
Additionally, including pamphlets with LGBT representation and removing any non-inclusive statements on intake forms are recommended, with clinic websites and social media accounts including statements that demonstrate inclusivity.
“In order to address the dermatologic health care disparities that HIV+ LGBT patients face, clinical management recommendations can be implemented to improve an HIV+ LGBT patient’s experience at the dermatology clinic,” the authors wrote. “Dermatologists are in a unique position to not only positively impact an HIV+ LGBT patient’s quality of life, but also, they may quite literally save it.”