Much is written about the availability of healthcare services among elements of the U.S. population, with a large proportion of the literature focusing on access. Although physical access is an overarching issue for many, educators must remember that a key factor in providing complete and competent healthcare is to understand the patient and any variables that may have a significant impact upon the patient's health and life. Not to do so is to exacerbate healthcare disparities, even when there are no physical barriers to access. Thus, it is not enough to simply lecture our students about diversity. We must provide them tools to deploy when they are in clinical training and their future practices. In this article, we review key healthcare-related issues affecting patients with different sexual orientation or gender identification. Moreover, we present an example of the framework for an interactive method to expand lifestyle understanding and patient care skills for students in all healthcare disciplines, particularly in regard to individuals within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) population. Included are methods to show students how they can make their future practice environments gender neutral and LGBT friendly.
Issue addressedCurrently, in Australia, male health outcomes are poorer than that of females, with males experiencing a lower life expectancy, accounting for 62% of the premature deaths. Exploring male-specific health promotional material in health facility waiting rooms provides an opportunity to examine available health information. There are few studies on health-related education for patients, families and carers in general practitioner (GP) waiting rooms, and no studies on male-specific health material content in waiting rooms. MethodsThis prospective observational study audited all printed health promotional materials in all health facility waiting rooms within a single local government area. A total of 24 sites were surveyed, which included general practice centres, community health centres and hospitals. The surveyed health literature included posters, brochures and booklets. ResultsThere were 1143 health materials audited across the sites. Of these, 3.15% (n = 36) were male-specific literature, 15.31% (n = 175) were female-specific health literature and 81.54% (n = 932) were neutral/others. Overwhelmingly, the audited health literature evidenced a 5:1 ratio favouring female-specific literature versus male-specific literature. ConclusionsThis research highlighted that despite the known outcomes of lower male life expectancy and higher burden of disease, male-specific literature was observed to be significantly under-represented within the audited health facility waiting room spaces. There remains potential for health clinicians to provide targeted male health education and thereby improve male health literacy.
Background: Australian men are likelier to die younger than women, often from preventable diseases or conditions. Gendered health promotion has improved men’s engagement with health services, with nurses playing a central role in information and healthcare design. The primary aim of this research was to surveysenior clinical and executive nurses on their understanding and perception of men’s health.Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative online survey was attended by senior nurses within a single hospital setting in metropolitan Sydney between June 2022 and July 2022. Sampling selection was conducted of nurses who currently hold senior clinical or management roles within the health district (Nurse Manager, Nurse Unit Manager, Director of Nursing, Nurse Practitioner, Transitional Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Educator, Clinical Nurse Educator) with descriptive analysis applied to interpret the data sets.Results: A total of 84 responses were received, representing a 33% survey participation rate. A key finding was that 89.1% of senior nurses believed that traditional masculine traits affected health-seeking behaviour. However, 60.2% had not discussed men’s-specific agencies with male patients, and 33.7% of senior nurses believed that gender was not a determinant of health. There was strong endorsement (74.6%) for a men’s health education program to be developed specifically for nurses.Conclusion: The results of this single-site online survey of senior nurses illustrate that while foundational understandings of gender as a determinant of health were divided, there remained strong endorsement for targeted men’s health promotion to patients and the development of men’s health educational programs to support nurses in providing holistic care for their male patients.
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